Why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Is Borussia Dortmund's New Complete Forward

Although Borussia Dortmund will undoubtedly feel upset about dropping two points to Hoffenheim in Wednesday night's 1-1 draw, there were some positives to take away from the match. 

Thomas Tuchel would have been proud of a number of players within his side who have continued to perform well since he took over the reins. Beside the free-scoring Henrikh Mkhitaryan and all-round playmaker Shinji Kagawa, there is another player who has looked better and better with every passing week. 

We are, of course, talking about striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who on Wednesday, with a goal in the 55th minute, became the first player in Bundesliga history to score at least one goal in the each of the first six games of the league campaign.

That's a notable, worthy achievement for the forward, one that urges fans and critics to ponder just one question: Is Aubameyang a better striker than he was when he first arrived at Dortmund?

When the striker joined from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2013, there wasn't much fanfare. Dortmund fans had just bid farewell to Mario Gotze and were preparing to do the same to Robert Lewandowski. If one transfer was going to pull them out of their gloomy mood, it was attacking midfielder Mkhitaryan's, not a forward from the Ligue 1.

Similarly, his first full season at the club wasn't exactly one that filled Dortmund fans with hope. Sure, Aubameyang played plenty of football under Klopp, but he spent much of his time on the wing, where he struggled to make an impact.

There was also a fear the forward wasn't cut out for the biggest games. Aubameyang picked up 13 Bundesliga goals that season but most came against lesser sides. He may have notched braces against Augsburg, Eintracht Braunschweig and Eintracht Frankfurt, but he only managed one goal in nine games in the Champions League.

Sascha Schuermann/Associated Press

Things changed the following summer. Out went Lewandowski to Bayern Munich, meaning Aubameyang was tasked with fighting for the solitary striker's position in the face of new competition from Adrian Ramos and Ciro Immobile.

Fortunately, after a season adjusting to the new division, the Gabon striker burst into form once he was given the freedom to play as a striker, kicking off the 2014-15 season with a goal and an assist in the season-opening DFL-Supercup against Bayern. 

Although Klopp still attempted to use Aubameyang as a right-winger whenever he could, it became apparent he was being wasted on the wing. The forward spent nine of the first 10 league games on the wing and spent the last 15 matches up front. He may not have single-handedly turned Dortmund's form around, but the club's fortunes certainly jumped up a gear once he was allowed to play as the lone striker.

That season, Aubameyang finished with an incredible 25 goals in all competitions, including 16 Bundesliga goals. An impeccable achievement considering Dortmund lost no fewer than 14 of their 34 league games.

Now, under Tuchel, we are beginning to see the next phase in Aubameyang's evolution as a player. Where Klopp had the pacy forward simple chasing long balls for much of the season, Tuchel's side instead prefer to play with the ball on the ground. And that has brought out a whole new side to the forward.

For so long, Aubameyang was considered a quick, one-dimensional forward. Sure, he could run in behind lines and nick a goal on the counter, but when he was asked to challenge deeper back lines or better defenders in Europe, he was deemed ineffective. That has all changed.

Under Tuchel, the striker looks more complete. Now found with his back to goal, allowing roaming midfielders such as Mkhitaryan and Marco Reus to play off him, Aubameyang is beginning to resemble the man he replaced up front.

Strong, quick and exceptional in the air, it seems as though the new Dortmund manager has made a new man out of the goalscorer. No longer is Aubameyang just a poacher or scorer of simple goals. He now looks far more distinguished, useful and perhaps the complete forward the Westfalenstadion side have been looking for since Lewandowski's departure.