FC Luzern vs. Borussia Dortmund: Lessons Learned from Pre-Season Friendly

Borussia Dortmund continued their bright pre-season preparations with a 4-1 win over FC Luzern on Tuesday night. 

At the Swissporarena in Lucerne, deepest Switzerland, Thomas Tuchel's side overcame a relatively poor opposition with notable ease from the first minute to the last. 

The new manager continued to experiment at his pleasure with a number of tactical and squad selection changes from the previous friendly matches. 

Dortmund's first competitive match is just two-and-a-half weeks away, and as such, Tuchel must be nearing a conclusive opinion on just which members of this squad will be part of his team next season and which will not. 

Alas, we noted down some points from Tuesday's match that may suggest just which side of that divide certain players may stand. 

Shinji Kagawa Is Central to Tuchel’s Plans

Shuji Kajiyama/Associated Press

If there’s one player who has near enough remained front and centre of Tuchel’s plans this summer, then it’s attacking midfielder Shinji Kagawa. 

Dortmund’s goalkeepers have taken turns in goal, the full-backs have swapped every 45 minutes and even the strikers have changed personnel and shape in each match we’ve seen Kagawa play as the sole No. 10. 

The reason for this was clear for all to see on Tuesday evening when the Japanese international set up both of Dortmund’s first two goals and continued a run of pre-season form that has far outplayed what we saw from the player last season. 

Thomas Tuchel Still Isn’t Sure About His Strike Force

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As we just alluded to in the previous slide, Tuchel has indeed selected and chosen alternative players while constantly changing systems to lead the line for his Dortmund team this summer.

Sometimes there is a solitary striker, sometimes there are two. On Tuesday night there was just one who was in fact a midfielder, Jonas Hofmann.

Although Tuchel may just be playing around while he still can, there’s very little to suggest the new manager has came to the conclusion of who will lead the line for his team this season. Will Marco Reus move up front, will Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang keep his spot or will we see the manager take a leaf out of Pep Guardiola’s book and go for a false No.9?

Nobody is quite sure, and we’re not entirely convinced Tuchel is either.

Dortmund Still Lack Defensive Solidity

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Although this side may look comprehensive and bursting with options up front, there is something to be said for the fragile state we still find Dortmund’s defence in.

Tuchel has tried to shake things up of sorts. Yes, he’s stuck with the traditional back four, and we’ve seen each full-back and central defender get his chance. Yet, the same old problems continue to trip Dortmund up.

Even against far lesser sides, we still see the back line panic and lose all sense of shape or cohesion, with the space between the defence and midfield constantly being exploited. The new manager may be a keen believer in attacking football, but it looks as though this defence still needs some work.

Gone Are the Days of Long Ball Dortmund

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One of the more interesting points of note from Tuesday's game was the manner in which Tuchel reacted on the bench when a poorly hit long ball from Lukasz Piszczek ended up rolling back to the Luzern goalkeeper in the first half.

The former Mainz manager ran his hands down his face and let out a sigh of discomfort. Sometimes you just can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

Despite that, the days of Dortmund punting and running up the park are certainly long gone while Tuchel is in charge. The side have spent a lot of time and effort moving to a style of football that allows for quick, short passes and less punts from the back line this summer.

A transformation will undoubtedly have to work completely if this side are to move from Jurgen Klopp’s old style towards something a little more productive this season.