Why AS Roma are the perfect acid test for BVB | OneFootball

Form guide: From a stuttering start to a statement win

Borussia Dortmund have played five friendlies so far in their current pre-season campaign, with mixed performances and results. After the opening run-out against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (3:1), they suffered their first defeat in a 1:2 loss at Fortuna Düsseldorf. Alongside long-term absentees Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck, all of the club’s World Cup participants were also unavailable for those two matches, prompting head coach Niko Kovac to call on players from the U23 and U19 sides.

Despite the return of five World Cup players during the BVB Evonik Japan Tour, the squad was still not back at full strength, with Gregor Kobel, Julian Ryerson, Ramy Bensebaini and Marcel Sabitzer still missing from the squad 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 particularly 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.”

The runners-up are now training with a full squad again, apart from the injured players. Gregor Kobel and Julian Ryerson were the last to return to team training.

The opponents: Roma return to the Champions League

After Arsenal, Borussia now face another serious test in AS Roma. Gian Piero Gasperini’s team finished third in Serie A last season, securing a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2018/19. Gasperini is known for intense, tactically demanding football. In pre-season, however, the Italians have recently had to absorb several setbacks. They suffered a 4:1 defeat against Cardiff City, before losing 3:0 to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion. Gasperini then publicly described his team as being “clearly behind” where they need to be.

At the same time, the team has plenty of individual quality: technical players such as Matias Soulé and Paulo Dybala provide creativity. Former Dortmund player Donyell Malen has scored 14 goals in 18 Serie A matches since 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 new arrivals: Karetsas, Gadou and Co. are making their case

At a season-opening event, the spotlight traditionally falls especially on the new signings. 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 completed the pre-season so far 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 scored once for BVB and made people take notice. While Lerma was signed specifically for the senior squad, Yamamoto is currently still making his case for the first team as a U23 player.

BVB managing director for sport Lars Ricken said after the successful Arsenal match that 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 sharpness

The win over the Gunners in London showed the potential in this new team. Now the aim is to bring more consistency to their performances. “We’ve got a good group of lads, 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 also missed the Arsenal match and have yet to feature in a single friendly.

That makes the season opener not just a celebration in black and yellow, but also an important gauge of where the team stands.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.