Borussia Dortmund: Full Report Card for Every Position for October
Borussia Dortmund welcomed much-needed success this week with a strong 3-0 win over 2.Bundesliga side St Pauli on Tuesday in the heart of Hamburg.
Although Jurgen Klopp's side are still chasing those elusive three points in the Bundesliga, they will be relieved to have avoided another upset whilst keeping themselves in contention for more silverware.
Oddly enough, despite the recent run of horrid results, Dortmund's squad has very rarely looked stronger over the past 12 months.
Stars have returned from injury, new signings have finally settled in and in some rare occasions we've seen youth players push their way into the first team.
Here's a report card for Dortmund's squad in October.
Goalkeeper
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As is ever the case at Dortmund these days, the role of goalkeeper is almost certainly a forgone conclusion with the veteran shot-stopper Roman Weidenfeller holding on to his place in the first team.
Yet following a recent run of inconsistent performances in the Bundesliga and the emergence of Mitch Langerak, Klopp will almost certainly have to think twice whenever he picks whoever he wants to put between the goalposts this season.
Of course this is, if anything, a welcome surprise for the manager. Dortmund effectively have two perfectly competent, fit goalkeepers to choose from for the time being.
Grade: B
Right-Back
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At right-back Dortmund can again rely upon decent coverage in the position with a quality first-team regular supported by players elsewhere in the squad.
The Polish international Lukasz Piszczek has recovered from injury that kept him out of action at the start of the season and has found himself back in the heart of action for Klopp's side.
If something were to happen to the defender, Dortmund can take confidence in the performances Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Erik Durm have put in at right-back in the past.
Grade: B+
Left-Back
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Despite being an ample right-back replacement, 22-year-old Durm has found himself once again as the solitary choice at left-back at this point in the season.
With a lengthy injury to Marcel Schmelzer that should keep him out of action for the foreseeable future, Klopp may fear losing his only available left-back and have to play Sokratis or Kevin Grosskreutz in the uncomfortable role for a prolonged period of time.
Like so many squads up and down the continent, left-back is a precious commodity that can make or break a starting lineup. Let's hope Durm keeps healthy for the time being.
Grade: C
Central Defence
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As has been the case since the start of the season, Klopp has had a number of options at his disposal when it comes to central defence, yet few have proved all too useful to him in the Bundesliga.
Mats Hummels, Neven Subotic, Matthias Ginter and Sokratis are all perfectly fit and available for selection, but the Dortmund manager still seems to struggle when it comes to finding a partnership that can keep league opposition from scoring.
Despite all this, Dortmund look very strong in the central-defensive department.
Grade: A
Holding Midfield
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The base of Dortmund's midfield experienced a major boost this month with the return of Ilkay Gundogan from an injury which kept him out of action for no less than 15 months.
To a team that has had to make do without Nuri Sahin for quite some time, this has made untold changes to Dortmund's midfield, especially in terms of how it closes down and its general tenacity.
Elsewhere in the holding/defensive aspects of midfield, Klopp can also call upon Sven Bender as well as Sebastian Kehl, who both bring a more physical approach to breaking down opponents.
On the whole, Klopp does have plenty of defensive-minded midfielders to choose from.
Grade: A
Central Attacking Midfield
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Elsewhere in the central role of Dortmund's midfield, we have the more attack-minded aspect of the team which now bolsters such fully fit players such as Marco Reus, Shinji Kagawa and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Reus, a wide forward by trade, has rarely been used in a more central role so in this sense we're really focusing on Kagawa and Mkhitaryan who would both hope to play that No.10 role for Dortmund and Klopp's side each week.
As such, the charismatic coach has two very strong options and has been alternating between the two whilst also sometimes opting to play both at once, whilst also being able to call upon young Milos Jojic if needed.
Grade: A-
Wide Forward
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Although the concept of Dortmund playing with actual wingers is one that should be regarded rather outdated, there are certain players within the squad that Klopp prefers to keep wide in his attacking system.
The most notable of these is of course Reus—the first man on his manager's team sheet before each game—who takes up his role on the left of Dortmund's attack in each game.
On the other side we most likely welcome Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has done well to convert from a standalone striker into something of a makeshift right-sided forward. There he utilizes his pace and ability to make late runs into the box.
Once we get beyond these two players, things become a little bare.
Dortmund will of course be able to call upon Mkhitaryan and Kagawa to play on either side with limited success and can also play Grosskreutz on the left or right with relative ease, but until Jakub Błaszczykowski returns from injury, Klopp's side are effectively winger-less.
Grade: B+
Strikers
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When it comes to Dortmund's strikers it would seem as though choice has gotten in the way of some good, old-fashioned consistency or indeed a run of form of any kind.
While Klopp still decides between Adrian Ramos and Ciro Immobile, who have both featured alternatively in each competition this season, each striker has in turn failed to demand the spot from the other and really build upon their start to life in Dortmund.
Although both are scoring goals and continuously prove their worth to the side, neither is benefitting from Klopp's indecision on the matter. Dortmund have two very good strikers, but we still don't know which one comes first in line.
Grade: B+
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