The curious case of Sebastien Haller and his struggles at Borussia Dortmund
By Joseph Meyer
Sebastien Haller's form was poor with Borussia Dortmund to open the current season as the striker was clearly struggling for fitness, but he still earned a call-up to the Ivory Coast squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. While Haller sat out the group stage with injury, he watched his team pick up a 2-0 win against Guinea-Bissau before losing to Nigeria 0-1 and Equatorial Guinea 0-4.
The Ivorians barely qualified for the knockouts. By the last-16, Haller was fit again, scoring in the penalty shootout win over Senegal. He then played the entire second half of Ivory Coast's 2-1 quarterfinal win over Mali, before starting the semifinal against the DR Congo, where he scored the only goal, leading Ivory Coast to the AFCON final.
The final was a rematch with Nigeria, but what was different about this game? Sebastien Haller started... AND scored the winning goal in Ivory Coast's 2-1 win, making them African Champions. His comeback was complete! Yet, after scoring the 81st minute winner, Haller was substituted seven minutes later with a recurrence of his ankle injury, one that is keeping him out of action currently.
This brings us back to Borussia Dortmund, where Haller continues to struggle. I speak for many BVB fans in being happy for Sebastien Haller. As much as I want him to perform well in black and yellow, I'm excited to see him hift a trophy with his national team. Nobody expected Haller to return to his top form after a diagnosis like cancer, but he's managed just that, albeit not in a Dortmund jersey.
So why has Haller struggled so much this season? Haller has made eleven league appearances without a goal or assist. With 354 total minutes, Haller's expected goals is still lower than one. Why is this?
It's a stark contrast between Haller's performances in AFCON, and what he's shown for Borussia Dortmund this season. Is it simply a matter of Haller's inability to reach full fitness? It's hard to blame someone for this after recovering from cancer only a year ago.