THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY
THE HAALAND - DAY
THE GOOD
Borussia Dortmund have forced themselves
right back into the Bundesliga title race,
with Lucien Favre’s side going goal crazy
following the winter break.
Der BVB saw their battle with old rivals
Bayern Munich, as well as Borussia
Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig, show
signs of fading before Christmas, but they
have come back with a vengeance in 2020.
Favre’s own position was under real
pressure at the back end of 2019, with
sustained questions over his suitability to
take this talented young side on to the
next level for the remainder of the season.
However, the club backed the former
Nice coach with both words and funds in
January, as they beat off competition to
bring in rising star Erling Braut Haaland.
Haaland’s arrival and goalscoring exploits at
Signal Iduna Park have caught the headlines
as he continues to develop into Europe’s
leading teenage striker. But it has been the
marked improvement of other players –
who looked jaded prior to the break – and
the injection of new confidence that has
underpinned their performances.
Favre has settled on a new formation which
has allowed full-back pair Achraf Hakimi
and Raphael Guerreiro to move into wide
midfield, with veteran Lukasz Piszczekmoving into a three-man defence. That
greater solidity at the back, and playing to
their strengths in wide areas has allowed
Julian Brandt and Marco Reus to alternate
in a playmaker role, alongside Axel Witsel
Jadon Sancho has also been moved more
centrally to make the most of his qualities,
but to also allow Hakimi to get forward with
more regularity from the wing.
Dortmund look to have regained their
swagger, and Favre’s side are once again
tearing sides to pieces and reminding their
rivals that the title race is not over by any
stretch of the imagination.THE BAD
Bayern Munich coach Hans-Dieter Flick has
been cursing his poor luck in recent weeks,
as a seemingly never-ending injury crisis
threatens to derail the club’s season.
The defending Bundesliga champions had
to do without key players at various stages
at the back end of 2019, and their problems
show little sign of easing up in the second
half of the season with more players set for
spells on the injured list.
Germany international Niklas Sule was
the first player to suffer a serious injury
this season, back in October 2019, and his
return from knee ligament damage has
now been delayed until at least April. Otherthey^ beat^ o
ff^competition
to^bring^ in^ ris
ing^star^ Erling^
Braut^ Haal
and.