Moritz Leitner, Adrian Ramos Impress as Borussia Dortmund Thrash Frankfurt

Evaluating performances in test matches can be an exercise in futility—that's especially the case for practice games during training camps. Teams typically don't adjust their training schedule for these friendlies, they don't prepare for the games and the coaches usually don't draw up much of a game plan.

Borussia Dortmund supporters shouldn't, therefore, jump to conclusions after their side smashed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 in Dubai on Tuesday.

Per the Black and Yellows' official website, the Eagles stopped by "on the way back to Frankfurt from their winter training camp in Abu Dhabi to play in this recently arranged friendly."

The fans will also remember that, this time last year, many expected new midfielder Kevin Kampl to play a major part in the club's future after he looked like a potential difference-maker in his first few showings in a yellow shirt. The Slovenian has since left Dortmund after a nondescript six months.

Frankfurt were no opposition for Dortmund on Tuesday, and BVB could have won by an even bigger margin—they hit the woodwork twice and scored two goals that didn't count because of close offside calls. Unlike their opponents, the Black and Yellows looked lively and ready for the season to restart already.

"

Frankfurt play like they ran a marathon this morning.

— Luca (@luc_bvb) January 12, 2016"

If nothing else, the match served as an opportunity for fringe players to show they can play a part in the club's busy second half of the season. The two who made most of their chance to shine were Moritz Leitner and Adrian Ramos.

Leitner is an especially interesting case. It's been five years since the club signed the then-18-year-old midfielder from 1860 Munich, but he never really made his breakthrough. He spent the last two seasons on loan at VfB Stuttgart without becoming a mainstay, either. It was widely regarded as a fait accompli that he'd leave Dortmund in the summer, but no move materialised.

The former Germany under-21 international has played a grand total of 10 minutes for the first team so far this season, getting most of his run for the second team playing in Germany's fourth division, the Regionalliga. 

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

It seems now that Leitner might have a future at Dortmund after all, seeing as head coach Thomas Tuchel praised the 23-year-old for his determination early in the training camp.

Tuchel said, per Jan Reinold of German magazine Kicker (link in German), that Leitner used a chance that wasn't there.

While he didn't use the chances that were there against Frankfurt—he should've scored the opener after two-and-a-half minutes—he was arguably the best player on the pitch in the first half. That he got the start and played with the better of two lineups (Tuchel made nine changes at half-time) was telling.

He showed off his versatility, too, starting in the central-midfield triangle in Dortmund's 4-3-3 before moving to a No. 10 role after 25 minutes or so. His performance was a reminder why he was highly touted as a teenager.

One player who did take his chances both figuratively and literally was back-up centre-forward Adrian Ramos.

The Colombian, whom we singled out as the player who must deliver in 2016 if he wants to save his career at Dortmund, scored a brace in the second half—albeit one that Frankfurt delivered him on a silver platter with diabolical defending.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Still, it was a perfect start to the new year for the 29-year-old, who seems to be especially reliant on confidence and tends to crumble when he doesn't have it.

If Ramos can build on this performance, Tuchel will feel much better about giving star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang more rest during what will be a busy schedule the rest of the season.

Both Leitner and Ramos could benefit from Dortmund's lack of depth after the club sold Jonas Hofmann and terminated Adnan Januzaj's loan spell. There aren't many back-ups for the wings, especially, and while that isn't the natural position of either of the two, they are certainly capable of filling in on occasion.

That would already be more than Leitner could've hoped for when he got on the plane to Dubai.

Lars Pollmann is a featured columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for the Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.