The Form Curve: From a Stuttering Start to a Statement Win
Borussia Dortmund have played five friendlies so far in their current preseason campaign – with mixed performances and results. After the opening runout against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (3:1), they suffered their first defeat with a 1:2 loss at Fortuna Düsseldorf. In addition to long-term absentees Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck, all World Cup participants were also missing from those two matches, forcing head coach Niko Kovac to call on players from the U23s and U19s.
Despite the return of five World Cup players during the BVB Evonik Japan Tour, the squad was still not yet back together in full, with Gregor Kobel, Julian Ryerson, Ramy Bensebaini and Marcel Sabitzer still absent for the matches against Cerezo Osaka (0:1) and FC Tokyo (1:0).
Last Sunday, however, the Black and Yellows made a real statement. Borussia Dortmund beat English champions Arsenal 3:2. “We’ve made progress,” Kovac summed up afterwards. He was especially pleased with the first two goals, one of which was scored by summer signing Kosta Karetsas in his first game for BVB: “The first two goals were wonderfully worked.”
By now, last season’s runners-up are training with a full squad apart from the injured players. Gregor Kobel and Julian Ryerson were the last to return to team training.
The Opponent: Roma Return to the Champions League
After Arsenal, Borussia now face another major test in AS Roma. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side finished third in Serie A last season, securing their first return to the Champions League since 2018/19. Gasperini is known for intense, tactically demanding football. In preseason, however, the Italians have recently had to deal with several setbacks. They suffered a 4:1 defeat against Cardiff City, before then losing 3:0 to Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. Gasperini later publicly described his team’s current state as “clearly behind.”
At the same time, the team has plenty of individual quality: technically gifted players like Matias Soulé and Paulo Dybala provide creativity. Former Dortmund man Donyell Malen scored 14 goals in 18 Serie A matches after his move in the winter of this year and was Roma’s best attacking player in the second half of the season.
Manu Koné (formerly of Gladbach), Evan Ndicka (formerly of Frankfurt) and summer signing Konstantinos Koulierakis (formerly of Wolfsburg) are also familiar faces from the Bundesliga and have already faced BVB on the pitch.
The Newcomers: Karetsas, Gadou and Co. Are Making Their Case
New signings traditionally attract particular attention at a season opener. Justin Lerma, Joane Gadou, Takato Yamamoto, Konstantinos Karetsas and Kaua Prates have already left their mark in the friendlies.
Centre-back Joane Gadou (19) has come through preseason from day one and even earned special praise from coach Kovac after the Arsenal match, with the coach describing his performance in central defence as “very good.” Midfielder Kosta Karetsas (18) marked his first BVB appearance in London with a superb curling finish into the top corner.
Justin Lerma (18) and Takato Yamamoto (18) have also each already scored a goal for BVB, drawing attention to themselves in the process. While Lerma was signed directly for the senior squad, Yamamoto is currently still pushing for a place in the first team as a U23 player.
After the successful Arsenal match, BVB sporting managing director Lars Ricken said he was pleased with the strong performances of the new arrivals, but also stressed: “It only works if the experienced players around them deliver as well. They did that. Then the young players can shine alongside them and produce their highlights.”
The Question Marks: Stability and Match Practice
The win over the Gunners in London showed the potential in this new team. Now the task is to bring more consistency to their performances. “We’ve got a good group of lads together, but we still have quite a bit of work to do,” said Kovac. On top of that comes the integration of the internationals who returned later. Gregor Kobel and Julian Ryerson were also absent against Arsenal and have not yet played a single friendly.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.