Bundesliga 2019/20: 5 possible attacking combinations for Borussia Dortmund

As Lucien Favre enjoyed a successful first season with Borussia Dortmund, the club will be looking to build on the foundation developed by the Swiss tactician as they eye domestic glory.

After the exhilarating highs of back-to-back Bundesliga titles and a domestic double under Jurgen Klopp, Die Borussen have been largely second best to Bayern Munich.

The Bavarians have dominated the German top-flight and sealed a record-breaking seventh consecutive league title in 2019, a staggering testament to their era of dominance.

Managers have come and gone, players have deserted them in favour of European giants as the club only have one DfB Pokal to show for their struggles since 2012, a disappointing return for a club of their stature.

The likes of Thomas Tuchel, Peter Bosz and Peter Stoger have all taken over the reins rather unsuccessfully since Klopp's departure in 2015 but the long-term stability that they craved for finally arrived in the summer of 2018.

Lucien Favre, previously on the books of Borussia Monchengladbach, was tasked with restoring Dortmund among Europe's elite and his first season at the club will go down as an unwavering success despite going trophy-less.

The 61-year-old arrived with a reputation of "fixing" teams and he did so whilst imprinting an impressive brand of attacking football.

Favre's young Dortmund side defied all expectations and gave Bayern a run for their money as the race to be crowned Kings of Germany was decided on the final match-day of the season.

Although the German champions sealed yet another domestic title by a meagre two-point margin, Dortmund sent out a massive statement of intent in their first season under their new boss.

The likes of Thorgan Hazard, Julian Brandt, Mats Hummels, Mateu Morey and Nico Schulz have all joined the club this summer and Borussia Dortmund are ready to set sail once again in pursuit of Bayern's throne.

After coming within touching distance of regaining the Bundesliga title from Bayern Munich's grasp, Dortmund have attempted to set things right in the transfer market as they look set to mount another title challenge.

With the forthcoming season of the Bundesliga around the corner, let's look at how the Black and Yellows could line-up as they look to end Bayern Munich's domestic dominance.

#1 - The tried and tested 4-2-3-1

Favre's preferred 4-2-3-1

Lucien Favre's footballing philosophy derives from the fact that his teams play attacking football whilst maintaining a good shape, leaving opponents struggling to break down his well-organized sides.

The Swiss tactician implemented a 4-2-3-1 for a vast majority of last season and it worked like a charm as Dortmund created an identity for themselves once again.

With Axel Witsel and Thomas Delaney occupying a double-pivot role in the centre of the park, the likes of Jadon Sancho, Paco Alcacer and Marco Reus have the freedom to express themselves in the final third without inhibiting their natural flair.

Favre will likely continue to implement a similar system this time around, albeit with a subtle change.

Julian Brandt's arrival could prove to be a game-changer as his ability to operate as an interior No.8 allows him to act as the link between the midfield and the attack, a role that happens to suit his characteristics perfectly as we saw during his time at Bayer Leverkusen.

#2 - A similar 4-3-3 with Marco Reus upfront

4-3-3 with Reus up-front

If Dortmund's exploits last season is any evidence to go by, Lucien Favre is the kind of manager who tends to rotate his players to keep them fresh over the course of a season.

The strategy paid dividends as the likes of Mario Gotze, Paco Alcacer and Jacob Bruun Larsen all played interchangeably up-front without dropping off in terms of overall quality as Dortmund kept pace with Bayern Munich for the entirety of the season.

Despite losing Christian Pulisic to Chelsea, the arrival of Thorgan Hazard gives their attack another dimension as the German club have enough fire-power to trouble any back-line in the division even if Alcacer is unavailable.

Reus could be deployed as the furthest man up the pitch and with the likes of Sancho and Hazard stationed either side of him, Favre's side can unlock another dimension to their football.

Reus' intelligence in leading the line allows Dortmund's wingers to express themselves more freely and his link-up play would bring the best out of them.

#3 - Adopting a False 9 with Mario Gotze leading the line in a 4-3-3

E Dortmund's XI with Gotze as a false No.9

Since the turn of the year, Mario Gotze has reinvented himself and made useful contributions as Dortmund's title challenge began to gather pace since his re-introduction to the side.

In the absence of Alcacer, Gotze was deployed as a false No.9 and the 27-year-old impressed despite his unfamiliarity with the position.

Gotze's technical ability coupled with his versatility prompted Favre's tactical tweak and the German flourished in his new role.

Starting as the furthest player up the pitch, Gotze often dropped deep which allowed Dortmund to build from the back and in doing so, he played some of the best football of his career since his days at Bayern.

Favre's positional tweak has not only reinvented a forgotten man in Gotze, but it has also opened up another presentable option for his side as Dortmund looked fairly solid with the World Cup winner leading the line.

#4 - A wide 4-4-2 à la Monaco 2016/17

Dortmund could deploy a wide 4-4-2 like Monaco in 2016/17

With the attacking talent at their disposal currently, Dortmund could take a leaf out of Monaco's title-winning squad from the season 2016/17 and set up similarly.

The Principality outfit deployed a double-pivot of Tiemoue Bakayoko and Fabinho, with Bernardo Silva and Thomas Lemar stationed either side of them and Radamel Falcao spearheading the attack, alongside Kylian Mbappe.

With the acquisitions of Thorgan Hazard and Julian Brandt, Favre's side is blessed with an abundance of attacking talent, allowing them to mirror Leonardo Jardim's approach at Monaco.

The ever so reliable pair of Axel Witsel and Thomas Delaney would start as the two holding midfielders, with Jadon Sancho and Thorgan Hazard occupying the flanks.

Upfront, Marco Reus would partner Paco Alcacer and it could be argued that the pair would complement each other effectively because they cancel out each other's flaws.

#5 - Crowd the midfield in a compact 4-3-3

Dortmund could also look to crowd the midfield in a 4-3-3

As much as he's known for his brand of free-flowing attacking football, a key feature of Lucien Favre's philosophy is his ability to assess his opponents and set his teams up in accordance to their style of play.

The former Nice manager has developed a reputation over the years of predicting the way opposition teams set up and in doing so, he's made his teams incredibly hard to beat.

Favre could look to adopt a similar approach in the Champions League when his side come up against a devastating attacking outfit.

One of the attacking players will have to make way for a central midfield player like Mahmoud Dahoud or Julian Weigl and although it makes the Germans less terrorizing upfront, an extra body in the centre of the park would add some much-needed steel to contain the opposition.

The trio of Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and James Milner is hardly the most flamboyant midfield on paper but each of them played instrumental roles as Liverpool were crowned kings of Europe.

Dortmund could well adopt a similar approach when they're up against the European giants and unlike last season, they possess the personnel and the depth to execute their plans to perfection.