Borussia Dortmund Need to Start Squad Rotation to Be Successful This Season

Borussia Dortmund have passed the halfway point of this season's "Hinrunde," as the first half of the season in Germany is called.

They have to play 14 games in the coming two months—15, if they beat SC Paderborn in the second round of the DFB-Pokal on 28 October and advance to the last 16. These two months include yet another international break in November, so the 14 or 15 matches are packed together even more closely than one would think at first blush.

If Dortmund are to cope with the efforts their busy schedule will ask for, rotation is going to be an absolute necessity.

With four Europa League group matches and one or two cup ties, Dortmund have to play five or six midweek fixtures in two months. Two of these contests include a lot of air miles as well, with trips to Azerbaijan and Russia.

Those weeks, called "Englische Wochen" in German, are obviously very strenuous on the bodies and minds of the players. 

In a blog entry for Rafa Benitez' website, Real Madrid fitness coach Paco de Miguel stated: "There is no doubt that for any team at the top level playing at the highest intensity in a large number of matches must use rotation."

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There are, of course, a number of reasons why squad rotation is crucial. The most prominent one is the prevention of injuries caused by fatigue. De Miguel wrote: "It is commonly agreed that the players who play the most minutes are at a bigger risk of injury, especially injuries which occur due to fatigue."

Dortmund have been pretty lucky in terms of injuries thus far this season. Their A-Team—the team head coach Thomas Tuchel would likely field if every player was available—has collectively missed just five Bundesliga appearances, according to data collected by Transfermarkt.co.uk.

Chances are Dortmund won't be this lucky all season, although Tuchel's possession-oriented system takes away some of the strain on the players' bodies. They cover on average about eight kilometers per game less distance than last year, according to Bundesliga.de.

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A few players have played a very high number of minutes to start this season. Skipper Mats Hummels leads the team with 1,260 of 1,350 possible minutes on the pitch. He has played every second of every game, bar Dortmund's 1-1 draw in the Europa League at PAOK Salonika.

Next in line are Henrikh Mkhitaryan (1,223), Ilkay Gundogan (1,156), Marcel Schmelzer (1,150) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (1,141). Those five players look positively irreplaceable, despite Dortmund's squad strength. 

Schmelzer has already suffered a muscle strain to his thigh. It saw him miss the clash at Bayern Munich, which forced Tuchel to play right-back Lukasz Piszczek out of position on the left.

Gabon international Aubameyang can be considered the club's Bundesliga lifeline. He has scored 10 league goals in eight games. Mkhitaryan, as Dortmund's second best goalscorer in the Bundesliga, has netted just three times. Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan have accounted for 23 of Dortmund's 43 goals in all competitions.

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Any sort of long-term injury for their star striker or the Armenian playmaker would in all likelihood have devastating effects on the club's season.

Tuchel has so far been somewhat reluctant to rotate his squad. The results in games he did use for rotation haven't been overly encouraging. 

The 1-1 draw at 1899 Hoffenheim saw Mkhitaryan and Gundogan start on the bench. The team struggled for 45 minutes, before the Armenian was substituted on and helped turn the game around. At PAOK Salonika, Julian Weigl, Mkhitaryan and Marco Reus were the only regulars to start the game. Dortmund again drew 1-1. 

As De Miguel wrote: "Every team playing a high density of matches has to use rotation to maintain the level of performance...if they want to get to end of the season with a chance of achieving their objectives." 

Borussia Dortmund are no exception. Tuchel has to find a way to make it work. If Dortmund are to achieve anything this season, they have to start rotating, and soon. 

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Lars is a featured columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for Yellowwallpod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.