Borussia Dortmund, a club with a rich footballing tradition, has been under scrutiny this season.
Despite being undefeated in the Bundesliga, the teams performance has been questioned, particularly in their encounters with less-favoured opponents.
Matches against Heidenheim and Bochum yielded a solitary point each, raising questions about the teams consistency.
Their struggles continue in the UEFA Champions League, with Dortmund yet to find the back of the net.
The loss of key players like Jude Bellingham and Raphaël Guerreiro left significant voids in the squad, and it was always a challenge for the team to replicate the scintillating form they displayed in the latter half of the previous season.
Its clear that foundational issues are affecting the squads overall performance in various phases of the game.
In this forthcoming tactical analysis, we will delve deeper into Edin Terzićs formations and style of play complexities.
We will focus on build-up play, chance creation, and defensive structure to uncover the reasons behind their mixed results this season.
Lets examine the intricacies of the issues plaguing this talented team in this analysis and understand what steps might be needed to get them back on the path to success.
Dortmund Early Struggles: Build-up Play
Despite often dominating possession with an average of 61.4% per game, Borussia Dortmund has been grappling with significant issues in their build-up play this season.
While their possession statistics are impressive, ranking second only to FC Bayerns 63.3%, the nature of their possession is uninspiring.
The team has frequently showcased a lack of incisiveness in their play.
They tend to pass the ball back and forth between the flanks without posing a genuine threat to their opponents.
In essence, it appears as though Dortmund has almost abandoned a possession-based build-up strategy.
Their approach sometimes lacks the drive and determination required during the build-up phase, which raises questions about their work ethic and commitment to breaking down their opposition.
This lack of dynamism in their possession play has been a notable source of concern for the club this season.
Borussia Dortmunds issues with build-up play persist, and they often appear uncertain about how to advance the ball into the opponents half.
Its challenging to believe that Edin Terzić and his analysis team devised a strategy centred around forcing long passes to the wing-backs.
In reality, Dortmund plays the most long passes from the top teams in the Bundesliga.
On average, they execute 41.68 long passes per 90 minutes, surpassing teams like Stuttgart (40.27), Leipzig (36.52), FC Bayern (30), and Leverkusen (25.99) by far.
This heavy reliance on long passes is quite unusual for a possession-based side like Dortmund.
It highlights their struggles in executing a more refined build-up play.
In comparison, even clubs such as
