Reus Expected To Fire Dortmund To The Next Stage Of The Champions League
Personal information
Date of birth: 31 May 1989 (age 24)
Place of birth: Dortmund, West Germany
Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position: Attacking midfielder/Winger
Club information
Current club: Borussia Dortmund
Number: 11
Youth career
1994–1996 Post SV Dortmund
1996–2006 Borussia Dortmund
Senior career
2006–2009 Rot Weiss Ahlen: 45 Appearances, 5 Goals
2009–2012 Borussia Mönchengladbach: 109 Appearances, 49 Goals
2012– Borussia Dortmund: 68 Appearances, 30 Goals
National team
2009 Germany U21: 2 Appearances, 0 Goals
2011– Germany: 19 Appearances, 7 Goals
Dortmund lie second in their UEFA Champions League group with Napoli hot on their heels in third on the same points but inferior goal difference.
A trip away to Marseille awaits last season’s Champions League finalists and they will need all three points to assure qualification.
Their key player is arguably versatile attacking midfielder Marco Reus, and all eyes will be on him to inspire the Black and Yellow to a win.
Marco Reus is widely regarded as one of the hottest prospects in world football right now.
Aged 24, Reus has already gone on to make 17 appearances for the German national side, scoring seven times in those fixtures.
Having left BVB’s academy as a youth player, the man who is a native of Dortmund would eventually make a grand return in January of 2012, having spent three years with fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Now entering the pinnacle of his career, Reus is starting to show signs that he could be a pivotal player, not only for Dortmund, but also for Germany’s international setup.
With the monstrous presence of an “ultimate team” like Bayern Munich to contend with in Germany, many have written off this year’s Bundesliga title race already.
After all, this is the same Bayern side that romped to victory last season both domestically and in Europe. However, with Reus wearing the Black and Yellow some believe Dortmund could snatch the title.
The loss of a player like Mario Götze was a devastating blow for BVB. Mario was critical in the heart of the Dortmund midfield, working as the gateway through which most attacks would naturally flow.
While this was a dark day in the club’s history—losing such an impressive player to a bitter rival—it would allow for Reus to suddenly step up and take centre stage.
Marco is one of these midfielders with the coveted ability of being able to successfully play not only in the middle of the pitch, but also on the flanks as a winger.
This versatility has seen him become one of the Bundesliga’s most important players so far this campaign.
It was a great move on the part of Jürgen Klopp to add the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to the BVB ranks this summer.
Both players bring goals and creativity to the side, and collectively they have at least in part cancelled out the loss of Götze.
They have also, more pertinently, allowed for Reus’ versatility to become one of Dortmund’s greatest strengths this year.
With this support, Reus is able to adopt either his more traditional role on the wing, or even play in behind Robert Lewandowski—supplying the Pole with chances and linking up with a one-two to carve out goal-scoring opportunities on several occasions already this year.
Reus’ ability to attack players head on (and in most cases get the better of them) is a skill that most attacking midfielders would kill for.
Regularly beating your man is a trait that all of the best wingers in the game possess, and another factor which earns the German notoriety.
On top of this physical prowess, Reus also brings a clever tactical brain to the game.
While perhaps not as extravagant as the like of Götze or Barcelona’s Xavi, it is evident from watching Reus play that he understands in depth how the game works.
While this is less obvious in his accustomed position out wide, while playing in the middle of the park, there is a notable improvement in his vision and passing.
With a natural born goalscorer like Lewandowski to supply, having a player like Reus in your team can make the all-important difference between winning and losing.
And as if all of this wasn’t enough, Reus is also one of the most prolific goal-scoring midfielders in the world right now.
Having netted nine times from midfield already this year, he is well on his way to bettering his tally from last season of 19.
When a team has a player like Reus in their side who brings goals, creates chances and bosses games (all while playing the beautiful game to a world-class extent) the sky really is the limit—no matter who your opponents might be.
As such, it is not surprising that while some expected Bayern to surge away with the title, Dortmund have thus far managed to keep on the heels of the German and European champs.
While Munich are undoubtedly still the favourites to win the league, the Reus factor at BVB actually makes it something of a challenge for the treble winners.
If Marco continues to show the form that he has done so far this season, then we shouldn’t be shocked to see him picking up the Bundesliga Player of the Year award for the second time in three years.