Analysis: Sabitzer set for midfield renaissance at Dortmund? | OneFootball

A little under three months ago amid the heat of battle at the FIFA Club World Cup, Marcel Sabitzer’s future at Borussia Dortmund was in question. Having played just 1,616 Bundesliga minutes in 2024/25 – of which 8 appearances came as a substitute – time appeared to be running out for the Austrian. The pressure was telling, too.

Sustaining a nasty knee ligament tear in March, he never got a prolonged chance to impress new coach Niko Kovač. Furthermore, the €33million arrival of Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland meant reinforcements in his area of expertise were arriving. It was no wonder why he queried if the media were writing rumours of his departure at his expense.

Like any true professional, the 31-year-old put his head down and worked on himself. Fast forward to mid-September and, so far, it appears fortunes have swung in his favour. With 3 appearances under his belt in both Bundesliga and DfB-Pokal action, Sabitzer has played all but 4 minutes of those outings while providing a solitary assist.

Those figures won’t drop jaws to the floor just yet, but a deep dive into the finer details reveal an impressive spike in form. In terms of attacking transitions, Sabitzer ranks highest among his fellow BVB midfielders for progressive carries (2), progressive passes (12) and completed passes (69) in their first three games.

Although his pass accuracy (84.1%) is marginally lower than that of Felix Nmecha (90%) and Jobe Bellingham (86.3%), it’s worth noting both have played about half the number of minutes the Austrian has. Nmecha alongside Pascal Groß boast stronger chance creation statistics, albeit the latter is the club’s regular set-piece taker when on the field.

Once again, the 31-year-old climbs above his middle-third counterparts in defensive actions. His tackle and interception success rate (4) fares slightly better than next best Groß (3) with his seven defensive clearances only behind defenders Ramy Bensebaini (22), Waldemar Anton (19) and Daniel Svensson (9).

Capable of popping up with the occasional goal is about the most you could expect of Sabitzer given his tendency to do the dirty work. That assessment is evidenced by his touches around the field with the bulk of his possessions (65) located in the middle-third, followed by 22 in attack and 16 in defence.

It’s early in the season to suggest this dominant trend will continue. But amid another injury crisis, there’s no denying Kovač will be grateful for his presence. Sabitzer’s midfield renaissance may be well and truly underway. A pair of goals – one from the penalty spot – in each of Austria’s World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Bosnia last week suggests no signs of slowing down just yet.