Jadon Sancho has exploded onto the German football scene in exciting fashion.
Joining Borussia Dortmund at 17-years-old after turning down a mouth-watering contract with Manchester City, Sancho went in search of first team football over a season that would have likely resulted in sitting on Pep Guardiola’s bench.
Playing in Germany has given Sancho the freedom to express himself without the added attention on the British press, something which has resulted in top England prospects stagnating in the past.
Cameo appearances against Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayern Munich resulted in a first start for Sancho after the winter break and at just 17, Sancho became the first Englishman to start for Borussia Dortmund.
His performances that game gave Dortmund fans something to shout about in what had been a dismal Hinrunde campaign under Peter Bosz.
The hunger had been there for Sancho with the winger eager to impress not only his teammates, but his superiors.
Performances continued at a high level for the remainder of the Bundesliga campaign with Sancho being the bright spark as Borussia Dortmund finished fourth.
Given recent injuries within the England squad and a relatively ‘rookie’ looking World Cup squad, it’s a surprise that Sancho hadn’t been considered, as he can certainly offer something different to what England has seen before.
Jadon Sancho Positioning & Dribbling
Something we haven’t seen from England for a long time is someone who hugs the touchline and has the confidence to get past his man.
On numerous occasions, we’ve seen Sancho do this in the Bundesliga with relative ease.
Under Peter Stöger, we’ve seen Dortmund play relatively narrow which isolates Sancho on the left, which can be seen below.
In acres of space and in a 1v1 situation is the last place the opposing team wants to see Sancho.
We see Sancho face up to his marker who’s backtracking while his ability to use both feet allows him to either go right or left in this situation.
Whereas if you were 1v1 with Arjen Robben, everyone has the knowledge of what he likes to do.
Mainz are set up well defensively here, but because Sancho is that dangerous and unpredictable on the ball, it draws three defenders towards the ball which allows Marco Reus more space on the edge of the six-yard box.
Sancho cuts inside on his right foot but because he’s that fluid with both feet, he’s able to turn out and run towards the by-line, where he then finds Reus open to get Borussia Dortmund back into the game.
