Profiling Yan Couto and why he will be pivotal for Borussia Dortmund's success

Now, in Dortmund colors, Couto came to honor a great deal of Brazilian players who showcased their best skills at the Westfalenstadion. After warming the bench for the first few games, Couto finally made his debut in Dortmund's starting XI against Bochum and has been kept in the team since then. Even with a small sample, Couto has already demonstrated his incredible vision with his passes, and his overlaps on the right side already look like an attractive weapon for BVB.

That skill set is not news for anyone who has watched even a few minutes of Girona matches. During those days, Yan Couto showed on the pitch what he could offer offensively as the Brazilian played as a right-wingback in Michel's system rather than a traditional right-back. They basically set up in a 3-2-5, which sometimes transitioned to a 3-1-6, or, in other words, a very attack-oriented strategy where Yan was a winger with a lot of freedom to drift forward.

Sahin started the season applying a very similar scheme, where Ryerson started most matches in that right-wingback position. Even though Couto could be a more natural fit for that role, the Norwegian was maintained due to his consistency during the last campaign. As the new manager gave Couto more time to adapt to his new home, he found his momentum and became the team's new right-back while Ryerson moved to the left side.