Buying young players cheaply, developing them and then selling high to one of Europe’s traditional powers has been Borussia Dortmund’s modus operandi for some time now - and it’s an approach which is working for the Bundesliga side.
Despite a relatively high turnover of players, BVB consistently manage to remain competitive in both the German top flight and the Champions League, utilising a wide-cast scouting net to pluck the next big thing before most are alerted to his existence.
That latest such youngster to be sold for a great profit is French winger Ousmane Dembélé, the 20-year-old assist master who starred in his first Bundesliga campaign following a £12.75m move from Rennes in the summer of 2016. Dortmund were reluctant to lose the dynamic attacker so soon, but the player effectively going on strike, and Barcelona offering a package worth up to €140m, forced their hand.
Losing a player who had quickly become the creative fulcrum of the side’s attack was a blow for Dortmund, but the rapid rise of American teenager Christian Pulisic means the Frenchman’s loss has not been mourned.
The confident and inventive 19-year-old has been the subject of Liverpool’s interest in the past, and could well be the next big-money departure from Signal Iduna Park in the near future. But right now, the Pennsylvania-born playmaker is becoming increasingly key to the way BVB attack, filling the creative void left by Dembélé’s exit, albeit in a markedly different way.
Like Dembélé, Pulisic is versatile enough to be comfortable in any attacking position behind the central striker. And, like the recently injured Barcelona star, the American is strong with both feet, which enables him to dribble comfortably in either direction and aim for goal from almost any angle.
But unlike Dembélé, pace is not key to Pulisic's creativity, nor his dribbling ability; instead, it is his remarkably mature appreciation of space and intelligent movement.
When faced with a block of opposition defenders, Dembélé would see an obstacle to be obliterated, storming through crowds of opponents, weaving his way to daylight and, inevitably, opening up scoring opportunities.
Pulsic’s approach is more subtle: the childhood Manchester United fan elects to dismantle the puzzle he faces piece by piece, linking intricately with team-mates and bypassing would-be markers with an altogether different form of trickery.
Rather than mesmerise with tricks and fancy footwork, Pulisic, like a master magician, utilises the art of misdirection. He lures defenders toward him, where they think the danger lies, before quickly instigating an interchange with a colleague to break into the space the flummoxed opponent has just vacated.
In the above image, taken from Dortmund’s recent 3-1 loss to Tottenham in the Champions League, Pulisic’s bait-and-switch hustle is in full effect. The BVB youngster picks the ball up wide on the left and sets off in a run inside.
However, he has already made note of left-back Jeremy Toljan’s overlapping forward progress down the wing. Pulisic draws three opponents toward him, all rushing to snuff out the threat of the gifted attacker drifting into a central zone, and forces another to take his eye off the German full-back’s progress. Then he releases the former Hoffenheim defender into the vast space that has been created.
A star as a No.10 for his country, Pulisic tends to be deployed wide for BVB. But his supreme tactical intelligence means he is able to pick up the kind of positions from where he can affect the game regardless of his starting station, and thread decisive passes for team-mates irrespective of the system he’s playing in.
Wherever he is deployed, Pulisic is a master of hurting teams in the half-space, the gap between the opposition’s full-backs and centre-backs. This is the zone in which he does his best work, conjuring opportunities for those around him and threatening goal himself.
Above, we see Pulisic’s adaptability and awareness in creating a scoring chance for Marco Reus. The American has roamed into the left half-space to create a passing option for Raphaël Guerreiro, who is in possession wide on the left.
Pulisic is anticipating a ball into space (blue arrow), in behind the back-tracking defender, but Guerreiro instead plays it into the 19-year-old’s feet (red arrow). This forces Pulisic to halt his forward burst instantaneously, turn, and control a ball that is now arriving behind him.
Agile and skillful, a contorting manoeuvre that would send most players to the turf with twisted blood is executed with ease. The most impressive part of this attacking move, however, is the fact that Pulisic is acutely aware of Reus’ run through the middle. All in one movement, the 18-cap United States international spins, controls the ball and slides in his German accomplice.
Pulisic might struggle to replicate Dembélé’s incredible return of 21 assists in all competitions from last season, and he is unlikely to match the Frenchman’s 4.5 dribbles per 90 minutes (although BVB's No.22 averaged a still-impressive 3.3 successful take-ons per 90 last term).
But Pulisic, despite being 16 months Dembélé’s junior, has already exhibited better decision making and pass selection than the Barça winger, and has shown himself to be a willing runner who is unafraid to put in a shift when it comes to his pressing and tracking-back duties.
With Dortmund, who parted company with Thomas Tuchel at the end of last season, still adjusting to the demands of new boss Peter Bosz, the Bundesliga side need players who offer continuity and understanding – the usual level of invention but with a humble willingness to sacrifice personal statistics in favour of fostering team cohesion.
Pulisic provides all of this and more. He is on the cusp of becoming one of the biggest names in the game, yet his work ethic is unquestionable, matched only by his enormous talent. And, having just celebrated his 19th birthday, he’s only going to get better.
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