The missing link in Borussia Dortmund's striking force is Serhou Guirassy

 

Serhou Guirassy

Borussia Dortmund's addition of Serhou Guirassy brings the Bundesliga's most productive attacker from 2023/24 into their ranks, offering a fresh focus and increased versatility to their offensive tactics.

Last season, Guirassy's 28 goals for VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga caused quite a stir as they finished in second place behind Bayer Leverkusen. However, Dortmund's managing director for sport Lars Ricken emphasized that it would be inaccurate to only credit Serhou on his scoring abilities since he offers more than just being an exceptional finisher.

Opposition defenders often suffer from headaches due to his exceptional movement. At 28 years, he enjoys peeling off behind the last defender and penetrating deep with ease. Additionally, he displays lightning-fast direction changes coupled with shrewd feints that effectively mislead his markers in different directions.

🇬🇳 Serhou Guirassy in the Bundesliga last season ✨

2️⃣8️⃣ games 🎽
2️⃣8️⃣ goals ⚽️
2️⃣ assists 🅰️
8️⃣ Man of the match awards 🏆

Why is no one talking about him❗️pic.twitter.com/PwavPZoEk5

— CrossAndNod (@crossandnodFT) June 9, 2024

Apart from his existing abilities, BVB's most recent acquisition has a significant advantage. His astute perception of the game often enables him to stay ahead of the pack. Although he recorded only 33.15 km/h as top speed in the previous season, this alone wouldn't have been sufficient for him to outrun defenders; however, due to his foresight and sharp observation skills regarding empty spaces and time management along with remarkable acceleration during initial yards covered usually put him into an advantageous position at all times.

Not only is his timing impeccable - he was penalized for offside just 17 times in the season of 2023/24 - but Guirassy's movement also shows cunning. Typically, he follows an arc that runs parallel to the opposing team's last line of defense before abruptly darting behind it.

Dortmund boasts several players, including Nico Schlotterbeck, Marcel Sabitzer and Julian Brandt, who possess the skillset to execute precise and consequential forward vertical passes from deep positions.

Furthermore, the team's recently appointed head coach Nuri Şahin was highly skilled at performing similar maneuvers during his time as a central midfielder and is expected to impart some tips of expertise.