Tactics, Transfers or Bender: Can Borussia Dortmund Solve Centre-Back Issues?

If there is one position group that reflects Borussia Dortmund's up-and-down nature in the first half of the 2016/17 campaign, it is the centre-backs.

While Sokratis Papastathopoulos has arguably been the team's player of the season to this point, his partners in the heart of defence have not performed at a consistent level a club of the Black and Yellows' standing has to expect.

The Greece international has been a rock in the back line, developing into an emotional leader after team captain Mats Hummels left for Bayern Munich in the summer.

Marc Bartra was the only addition to the stable of central defenders following Hummels' departure, with the 25-year-old joining for a modest €8 million fee from FC Barcelona. Early returns were positive, with the Spaniard providing fine ball-playing qualities and athleticism during pre-season friendlies and the first few matches of the campaign.

However, he has not been the same after a torn abductor muscle kept him out of action for almost a month between September and October. Since his return from that injury, Bartra has made a number of simple mistakes leading to scoring chances or even goals. His weak headed clearance into the middle gifted Borussia Monchengladbach's Raffael a goal on Bundesliga Matchday 13, for example.

A few nervy touches and ill-timed losses of possession when he steps up the field to be more engaged in the team's buildup show how Bartra seems to be almost too keen to do well, as head coach Thomas Tuchel indicated in a press conference ahead of the Gladbach match, as relayed by football writer Stefan Buczko on Twitter:

Matthias Ginter is the other central defender receiving a lot of playing time so far and, while he has benefited from a first extended run at his natural position since joining the Westfalenstadion side in 2014, the 22-year-old's lack of experience is obvious time and time again.

With Dortmund struggling for consistency on the whole, carrying a player such as Ginter is a luxury they can hardly afford in most of their matches.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner—by name only, as he did not see the field in Brazil—should be a high-upside back-up and not a player a team of Dortmund's calibre has to rely on in important fixtures.

Now, it would be too easy and unfair to blame the club's defensive frailties on the centre-backs—or, really, the entire defence—alone, but there is little doubt that the position is one where Tuchel needs to see improvements during the rest of the season.

But how could Dortmund solve their issues at the heart of defence?

Tactics

When the starting XI for Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Real Madrid was announced, the big surprise was not that Ousmane Dembele played in an unusual role as a central midfielder.

It was that Tuchel moved away from the back three/back five hybrid that had given Dortmund some much-needed defensive stability in games against Bayern Munich or Gladbach. With Real's focus on playing over the wings, a broad defensive stance seemed like a natural fit.

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Sure enough, the Ruhr side conceded both goals over the flanks, where crossers Daniel Carvajal and James Rodriguez found too much space. In the box, meanwhile, Karim Benzema successfully evaded his markers for both goals, something he would have found more difficult to do had Tuchel played with three centre-backs again.

"Our defensive game left a lot to be desired today," he said after the match, per Raphael Honigstein for ESPN FC, perhaps realising he did not help the team by moving away from the comforts of a more massive defensive block.

Given both their defensive struggles and their problems in the buildup, Dortmund's boss should stick with a back three for the time being. It allows Sokratis to play in the middle, from where he can serve as an anchor for the inexperienced Ginter and Bartra, who may be 25 years old but never was more than a stopgap option for the Blaugrana.

With more protection behind them, both the German and the Catalan can situationally step up into midfield roles, unfurling their potential on the ball and giving the team an even bigger numerical advantage over the opposition.

However, given Bartra's propensity to give the ball away in recent weeks, Tuchel could also limit the danger of counter-attacks by enforcing more positional discipline and demanding he stay back and play more of a role in the early setup of attacking moves. 

Transfers

It is entirely possible that Dortmund's personnel beside Sokratis is simply not that good. There are reasons why Bartra never developed into a regular for Barcelona despite showing impressive technical and physical tools.

There are also reasons Tuchel was reluctant to play Ginter at centre-back before he had to when injuries mounted up this season.

Lest we forget, the 43-year-old pushed for the signing of a more experienced defender when Hummels left for his boyhood club in the summer.

Bayer Leverkusen's Omer Toprak was the No. 1 target then, with the Rhinelanders sporting director Rudi Voller telling German broadcaster Sport1 (h/t Press Association Sport for ESPN FC) in August that Dortmund failed to meet their asking price for the Turkey international.

Michael Probst/Associated Press

"We owed it to him that we would listen to any offer, and he had this offer from Dortmund, but it didn't work out," Voller said.

The 27-year-old can reportedly leave for a bargain €12 million in the summer thanks to a release clause, with German tabloid Sport Bild (link in German) saying he will sign an already negotiated deal with the Black and Yellows in January.

However, one could argue that is going to be too late for a Dortmund side that will have to improve in the Bundesliga just to make the Champions League next season. The club's decision-makers should at least consider making an offer for a switch in the January transfer window, even if Leverkusen are unlikely to let go of Toprak six months early.

They themselves are in a tricky situation in the league, sitting ninth in the table and a whopping seven points behind the Europa League ranks at the moment. 

Seeing as Toprak is also cup-tied in the Champions League, it seems improbable that Dortmund will pay a premium to get him in January when they have a deal in place for the summer. If that is truly the case, the Black and Yellows will certainly not sign any other central defenders during the winter transfer window.

Wild Card: Sven Bender

Dortmund have not been able to tap into their full defensive personnel so far, with experienced options Neven Subotic and Sven Bender missing the first months of the season through injuries.

Former Serbia international Subotic seems on his way out—he would not even still be at the Westfalenstadion had he not failed a medical at Middlesbrough, per Anthony Vickers of the Evening Gazette.

Bender, however, figures to have a role under Tuchel and could be a part of the solution to the team's problems at the centre-back spot.

Making a successful transition from defensive midfielder to central defender after the coaching change from Jurgen Klopp to Tuchel, the 27-year-old even overtook Sokratis in the pecking order for stretches of last season.

As The Yellow Wall's Lewis Ambrose pointed out on Twitter, Bender's importance came as a surprise to many:

He proved to be a better fit next to Hummels, thanks to his calm nature and a conservative approach to the position. Sokratis and Hummels often covered the same spaces with their proactive way of defending on the front foot to intercept balls high up the pitch, often leading to the team's defensive third being exposed.

While not an overly exciting pairing, partnering Sokratis with Bender could give the team some much-needed stability and battle-tested experience at the heart of defence. Thanks to his past as a defensive midfielder, Bender's contributions to the buildup are at least serviceable.

His biggest problem is a distinct proneness to injury, as he has missed the entire season so far after picking up a foot problem on international duty with Germany at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Per Thursday's edition of German sport paper Kicker, Bender could make his season debut in one of the last matches before the Bundesliga embarks on its annual winter hiatus.

Relying on Bender to stay healthy is a dangerous proposition, but Tuchel may have no other choice.

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.