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Borussia Dortmund Football Formation

Creation DateJuly 21, 2024

Starting Lineup

Haaland · Skyuk · Vinaaa · Gurneya · Bellingham · Milky way · Dickey · MonDI · Hummles · Komarty · Haja

Borussia Dortmund plays with a vertical identity. This 3-5-2 formation is built to hit teams on the transition and press high up the pitch. The team wants to win the ball back quickly to catch opponents out of position and move the ball forward with speed.

Haja stays in goal to organize the back line. The defense sits in a narrow defensive block with a back three. Dickey sits in the center to win the second ball and hold the line. Hummles plays as a ball playing defender on the right side to help play out from the back. MonDI covers the left side to ensure the unit stays compact. The defenders step up to catch teams offside and squeeze the space when the ball is in the opponent half.

The midfield uses a five man unit to control the center of the pitch. Gurneya and Komarty act as a double pivot to shield the defense and deny the pivot of the opposition. Vinaaa operates in the left half space to recycle possession and switch play. Bellingham plays as an inverted eight to carry the ball forward into the final third with his driving runs. Skyuk sits as an attacking ten behind the two strikers to find the feet of the striker and play through the lines.

In the final third, Borussia Dortmund uses two forwards in a partnership. Haaland works as a pressing centre-forward who uses his physical strength to win the header and his pace to hit in behind on the transition. Milky way plays to link up play between the lines and hold up the ball. This formation allows the team to attack in combinations. The team relies on movements to create runs in behind and cutbacks from the byline to finish chances.

A key advantage is the numerical superiority in midfield which allows the team to compress the midfield and win it back high up the pitch. The team also shows great speed of transition when they win the ball. By using the wide areas, they create overloads to isolate wide players in one on one situations and stretch the defence.

This 3-5-2 formation is a high intensity system built for quick attacks. It is best suited for games against teams that leave space behind their midfield or struggle to defend against verticality.