Without Jude Bellingham, where would Borussia Dortmund be right now? They've been missing Marco Reus, Mats Hummels hasn't been up to pace (literally), and all the newboys haven't quite hit the ground running as expected (perhaps Salih Özcan aside). This has meant that Jude Bellingham has needed to carry the weight of the team on his shoulders, getting on the ball at every turn to work his magic.
Across the 2021-22 campaign, Julian Ryerson struggled for minutes in a competitive Union Berlin side loaded with wing-backs. But this season, he's become the starlet of the side from the wings, fulfilling his wing-back role to great effect from either side. His form in 2022-23 caught the eye of Borussia Dortmund, who snapped him up for a meek €5 million fee. Here is our analysis as to why the Black & Yellows made a move for Julian Ryerson, and what he will bring to Signal Iduna Park.
2022-23 has witnessed an increasingly promising start to the Bundesliga season for Werder Bremen, whose coach (Ole Werner) currently holds the pedestal for youngest manager in the division. 21 points after 15 games is certainly a good turnaround for any newly promoted side, especially one tipped for relegation by many pre-season.
Daniel Farke's men completely outclassed Dortmund on the break, particularly via the use of quick play through the vertical channels. The man that led that entire process was none other than Marcus Thuram - who recently featured in our 'Direct Goal-Scorer' breakdown. Thuram's a quintessential model of the role, as someone who constantly endeavours to run behind an opposition defense. He's the first outlet in transition, and this makes him absolutely integral to the team given that much of Monchengladbach's brilliance this season has come on the counter. Combine that with Dortmund's own problems at the back and the strange omission of their best transitional warrior, and Edin Terzic set his team up for a disaster.
In our latest analysis series: Game of Numbers, we break down the various tactical undertones of the modern game, most notably the individual roles that players fulfill to help their teams achieve success. This is Issue No. 9, featuring tactical discussions around two of the Bundesliga's top prospects - Youssoufa Moukoko and Christopher Nkunku.
This game was wild. Borussia Dortmund were all over the place in their twelfth Bundesliga match of the season, and I can't remember another time where they scraped out a win despite being absolutely shell-shocked by the other team like this. Eintracht Frankfurt were formidable going forward, and kept a whopping 59% of the possession against the Black & Yellows, which is completely unheard of for both sides when facing one another, and for Dortmund in general. Despite this, the likes of Gregor Kobel and Nico Schlotterbeck came out clutch to save the day, and Frankfurt couldn't make the most of their chances. With that, here is our tactical analysis of this stunning match of football, and how both teams need to progress moving forward.
Throughout the past five years, Eintracht Frankfurt have been partially responsible for the conveyor belt production of quality strikers like Sebastien Haller, André Silva, Luka Jović and Rafael Borré. The next heir to the throne is completely different to the goal-scoring poacher-like 'Target Men' previously deployed. In many ways, a departure was needed. Filip Kostic has left the scene to start pastures new at Juventus, and the team no longer have an out-and-out dynamic wing crossing threat delivering peaches into the box for the strikers to ripen. They have a new man leading their attack now, and that man happens to be more of a 'Creative Link' than a scorer of great goals. Here is our analysis of the wonderful Randal Kolo Muani in 2022-23 at Eintracht Frankfurt.
After a disappointing season under the influence of Adi Hütter in 2021-22, Borussia Monchengladbach have now enjoyed one of their best starts to a season in recent memory. Daniel Farke has restored stability and solidity at the helm of his new club, with Die Fohlen losing just one of their opening seven fixtures in the league. Along the way, they've beaten Leipzig in stunning fashion, and drawn both Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg, both of whom topped the table at the time. Daniel Farke hasn't made drastic changes to the team's tactics since entering the door, but he's made smart and subtle tactical tweaks that have allowed Die Borussen to up their game and re-find form. Here is our tactical analysis of Daniel Farke's Gladbach in 2022-23.
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