Why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Is the Unsung Hero for Dortmund in 2014/15 Season

Borussia Dortmund return to Bundesliga action in just over two weeks with the high task of turning around their truly baffling campaign with a tricky away trip to the BayArena to face off with in-form Bayer Leverkusen. 

Jurgen Klopp's side have completely capitulated thus far in the German campaign and will undoubtedly be looking to the individual talent in his squad to bind together and form a team that can move back up the league table. 

Yet among the rough that has left this famous club in 17th place and facing the possibility of relegation is one diamond who has quietly impressed among his disappointing peers. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is his name, and he has been the unsung hero of Dortmund's season thus far. 

Dortmund have undoubtedly tumbled down the Bundesliga table due to a number of separate factors this season, yet nothing has hurt Klopp's side quite as much as the total lack of goals that his side have amassed so far in this current campaign. 

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

When we take a look at the Black and Yellows' goalscoring this season in the Bundesliga, it currently stands at a truly abysmal 18 goals in 17 games. Just over one goal a game is completely atrocious when we consider this side were once challenging for the German league title. 

When we compare this to last season, it makes for some very sober reading. At this point in the 2013/14 season, Klopp's side had scored 38 goals, 20 more in as many games. Dortmund desperately need goals—by the truckload—if they have any hope of regaining their former place in the German hierarchy. 

This is where Aubameyang comes in. The Gabon striker, now in his second season at Dortmund, may not be the continent-conquering striker that many fans had hoped for when he initially signed, yet this forward has quietly gone about his business this year and picked up goals where others simply haven't. 

Among the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos, Aubameyang has been refreshingly straightforward and offered a genuine line to goal where the others have waffled and missed chance after chance. 

What the former Ligue 1 striker offers is pace and a goal threat, seeing Aubameyang pick up 11 goals and seven assists in all competitions this season, according to Transfermarkt. When we break that down to Bundesliga-specific contributions, it comes out as five goals and three assists—meaning this striker has scored or created eight of Dortmund's 18 goals in the league this season. 

Such a tally stands as a mightily impressive achievement considering his team-mates have offered little help in scoring or even creating goals. Add to that the fact that he's only five goals from overcoming last season's total and we have a player on the top of his game and scoring goals for fun. 

With the likes of Marco Reus, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin set to return, as well as new signing Kevin Kampl, we can only predict Aubameyang will continue on this upward trend and score more important goals for his side. 

Whether or not Dortmund march back up the league table, we're almost certain this striker will end the season as one of the club's top performers.