Mats Hummels and Thorgan Hazard made their season debuts in Borussia Dortmund's German Cup win over Uerdingen. While Hummels looks out of form, Hazard showed he could be a key figure in BVB's title quest.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
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After throwing away the Bundesliga title last season, Borussia Dortmund added several new faces to push for silverware this term.
Dortmund fans got their first look at two of their new additions: Mats Hummels, who returned to the club after spending three seasons with Bayern Munich, and Thorgan Hazard, who had spent his first five seasons in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach.
After both missed last week's German Supercup, Dortmund head coach Lucien Favre inserted the two in the starting lineup in Dortmund's German Cup win against KFC Uerdingen on Friday.
Marco Reus and Paco Alcacer were the ones who captured the headlines in the contest. Their second-half goals were what secured the 2-0 victory over their third-tier opponents, Reus with a close-range strike to put the visitors ahead and Alcacer with a free kick which curled into the top corner.
However, the season debuts of Hummels and Hazard were also noteworthy, though for different reasons.
Hummels, who spent eight seasons with Dortmund before moving to Bayern in 2016, was about of sorts in his BVB return. His brain farts nearly led to embarrassing goal concessions, and he was lucky Uerdingen weren't more clinical in the final third.
His worst mistake came shortly before halftime. The 30-year-old defender was stripped of the ball by Uerdingen's Osayamen Osawe. With acres of space, the English striker burst forward into the box, but his effort rolled wide of Dortmund's goal. But the former Dortmund captain almost made amends for that error a minute later, curling a left-footed shot just wide of the right post.
His gaffes didn't end up costing Dortmund in the end, and goals from Reus and Alcacer were enough to see last season's Bundesliga runners-up into the second round. But Dortmund certainly expects to see better performances from a defender whose transfer reportedly cost more than €30 million ($33.8 million).
After the victory, Reus admitted that the victory over Uerdingen was not Dortmund's best performance as a whole.
"We are not yet quite at the level that we were at last season, but we have big plans this year. We want to show that when the Bundesliga starts next weekend," The Dortmund captain told German broadcaster Sport1.
Thorgan Hazard made his Borussia Dortmund debut against KFC UerdingenImage: Getty Images/M. Hitij
Hazard heating up
There were many more positives to take from Hazard's official Dortmund debut. The 25-year-old Belgian was active on both flanks for the visitors, setting up scoring opportunities both on the ground and in the air.
Early on, as Dortmund's primary corner tacker, he set up two terrific headers for Lukasz Piszczek, which ex-BVB defender Kevin Grosskreutzcleared off the line, and Hummels, whose effort was tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Lukas Königshofer.
He also nearly served up a golden chance for Alcacer, but his through ball was just past the reach of the Spaniard.
Hazard has excelled during his time in Germany as a table-setter for his goal-scoring teammates. Last season, according to the football statistics website WhoScored.com, he was one of only two players — Leverkusen's Kerem Demirbay being the other — who averaged both two dribbles and two key passes per game. His on-the-ball prowess lead to 10 assists last term — more than his previous two Bundesliga campaigns combined.
On Friday, he showcased those playmaking skills and was very active in the final third for Dortmund. If that continues into the Bundesliga season, he may contribute to the big plans to which Reus was referring.
German exports to the Premier League
While the wait for the Bundesliga continues, the Premier League begins this weekend, with up to nine Germans potentially involved in the opener. New faces and big names, here are Germany's Premier League representatives.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Ruiz
The loanee
After losing his Schalke spot to emerging young talent Alexander Nübel, Ralf Fährmann has left his boyhood club to try and make his mark in England, for a season at least. His new coach calls him "still one of the best German keepers" but the former Schalke captain will have to displace Dutch international Tim Krul between the sticks for newly promoted Norwich City.
Image: Getty Images/S. Pond
The newcomer
That coach's name is Daniel Farke. The Norwich boss joined the Canaries from Borussia Dortmund's reserves two years ago and secured a surprise promotion, and league title, last season. The 42-year-old has installed a German spine to his team, and Fährmann is joined in the squad by seven playing compatriots.
Image: Reuters/A. Holt
So many Germans
Onel Hernandez, Dennis Sbeny, Christoph Zimmermann, Tom Trybull, Marco Stiepermann, Philip Heise and Moritz Leitner may not be household names in Germany but at the club in the east of England they and their coach have their own song: "All the Germans, so many Germans, they all go hand in hand, hand in hand through their Farke-life." To Blur's 'Parklife' in case you didn't pick it.
Image: Reuters/A. Holt
The title winner?
Jürgen Klopp is another man who inspires song in his admirers, in his case there's plenty of both. After securing a Champions League winner's medal and breaking his long trophy drought last season, the Liverpool coach wants the same thing as the fans - to end the 30 year wait for the Premier League title.
Image: Reuters/C. Recine
The one with plenty to prove
What is realistically expected of Shkordan Mustafi this season? Firstly, to make fewer mistakes. The center back, 27, has become a figure of fun at Arsenal and the signing of David Luiz from Chelsea is likely to send him further down the pecking order. Rumors of interest from Monaco have swirled in recent days.
Image: Getty Images/M. Regan
The number one
Bernd Leno stands in contrast to Mustafi as the established first choice for his position at Arsenal. The goalkeeper took a while to displace now-retired Petr Cech last term before making the spot his own. He's now taken the No. 1 jersey and will be hoping to improve a leaky defense.
Image: Getty Images/M. Regan
The opinion divider
But the best know of Arsenal's German contingent remains Mesut Özil. The playmaker divides opinion like few others, some see a lethargic luxury and others a skilled footballer with vision beyond compare. The truth, as always, is somewhere in between. The 2014 World Cup winner is still yet to win a trophy with the Gunners and must also win the trust of coach Unai Emery.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Ruiz
The talk of the transfer window
Will he or won't he? Endless transfer talk was devoted to whether or not Leroy Sane, the Premier League's young player of the year in 2017-18, would move to Bayern Munich. The skillful winger seemed to have lost the trust of Pep Guardiola towards the end of last season, making a transfer possible. But a cruciate ligament injury seems to have put an end to any move, for now at least.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/A. Davy
The metronome
Despite winning the domestic treble with Manchester City last season, Ilkay Gündogan's future looked uncertain, with contract talks stalling despite his increased importance to Pep Guardiola's side. The midfielder showed great adaptability to perform a deeper lying role last term without losing any of his influence and duly signed a new four-year deal just before the start of the season.
Image: Imago Images/Action Plus/J. P. Fletcher
The man under the radar
Pascal Gross spent two years at Ingolstadt before joining Brighton and Hove Albion when the German outfit were relegated in 2017. The 28-year-old has become a regular in the Seagulls midfield, with his dead ball delivery proving a key weapon for a side who have battled against the drop. How Gross fits into new coach Graham Potter's system is, for now, an open question.
Image: Getty Images/M. Atkins
The recuperated
Though Chelsea's 2018-19 season ended in Europa League glory, Antonio Rüdiger was forced to watch it from the stands as a result of a knee injury which required surgery. The center back looks set to be a key man under new coach Frank Lampard, especially with the departure of David Luiz. He will also hope to nail down a place in the national team, which he hasn't quite achieved yet.
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The talent
A strong dribbler who's confident on the ball in tight spaces, for a long time Max Meyer was one of German football's great hopes for the future. He made his Schalke debut at 17 and was in the national team a year later. Since then, things have stalled a little. His free transfer to Crystal Palace didn't quite work out last year and his last Germany cap was in November 2016.
