Borussia Dortmund Football Formation

Starting Lineup

PRATES · SCHLOTTERBECK · ANTON · REYERSON · KOBEL · NMECHA · BELLINGHAM · KARETSAS · SILVA · SANCHO · EL MALA

Borussia Dortmund focuses on heavy verticality and high pressing in a 4-3-3. This formation is built to hunt the ball high up the pitch and use quick transitions to catch opponents off guard. The team looks to win the ball high up the pitch to launch immediate attacks toward the goal.

Gregor Kobel guards the net for Borussia Dortmund while the back four maintains a high line to compress the playing area. Nico Schlotterbeck and Mats Anton act as the central pairing, with Schlotterbeck often acting as a ball playing defender to initiate attacks. Anton provides cover and is dominant in the air during defensive transitions. Yan Prates operates as the left back to provide width, while Julian Reyerson plays as the right back to support the defensive unit. The back line works together to squeeze the space and set the offside trap.

The midfield functions with a three-man unit designed to control the center and win the second ball. Jude Bellingham operates as a carrier who drives forward with the ball and connects the defensive and attacking lines. Nmecha works to shield the defence and win duels in the middle of the park. Karetsas plays as an attacking ten behind the striker to find pockets of space between the lines. This midfield group aims to press aggressively to win the ball and quickly find the forwards.

Borussia Dortmund utilizes three attackers to stretch the defence and create scoring chances. Silva leads the line as a pressing centre-forward who works to pin the last defender and link up play. On the flanks, El Mala acts as an inverted winger who cuts inside to create central overloads. Sancho plays as a wide winger who stays high to isolate a one-on-one wide situation or hit in behind on the transition. The front three move in combinations to create runs in behind or allow for cutbacks from the byline.

The main tactical advantages of this lineup include the ability to press high in coordinated waves to force a long ball from the opposition. The team also creates wide overloads when the full backs push forward to support the wingers. This setup allows for a very high speed of transition once the ball is won back.

This 4-3-3 formation relies on intense pressing and quick vertical play to overwhelm opponents. It is best suited for matches against teams that struggle to play out from the back under pressure.