Bundesliga Tactics · Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund Added Two Creators. Now the Attack Has to Share.
Giannis Konstantelias joins Konstantinos Karetsas before Dortmund face Bayern. The opportunity is a connected attack, not a weekly search for a new solo rescuer.
A second creator changes the question
Borussia Dortmund signed Giannis Konstantelias from PAOK through 2031, adding a 23-year-old attacking midfielder to the same squad that brought in 18-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas from Genk earlier this month. The obvious question is which one becomes the main creator. Dortmund should ask a better one: can the attack make creativity a shared behavior instead of another job vacancy for a gifted individual?
Konstantelias arrives with 186 competitive appearances and 41 goals for PAOK. Karetsas joined after 34 Belgian league appearances with 11 assists last season, plus two goals and five assists in 11 Europa League matches. These are different stages of development, but both signings point toward players comfortable receiving in tight spaces and finding quick solutions near the final third.
The recruitment is exciting because it can reduce predictability. It will become wasteful if both players drift toward the same pocket, wait for the same pass and turn every possession into an audition. Two conductors do not improve an orchestra when both insist on counting in.
Roles matter more than the lineup graphic
Niko Kovač must define complementary starting positions and rotations. One creator can begin wider and arrive inside after the ball moves; the other can occupy the half-space earlier and combine around Serhou Guirassy. When one drops toward midfield, the opposite side needs a runner beyond the last line. Sharing creation does not mean sharing the same square of grass.
Karetsas has already shown how connection can look. Dortmund reported that he played the pass before Julian Ryerson's goal against Roma and participated in the free-kick disguise that preceded Guirassy's equalizer in the 2–2 friendly. Neither action will dominate a highlight compilation. Both moved a teammate toward the decisive touch, which is exactly the point.
Konstantelias should enter the same ecosystem rather than receive a superhero cape at the airport. His experience gives him a stronger immediate claim on minutes, while Karetsas's age argues for controlled responsibility. The hierarchy can change by performance. The functions should be clear before the names are arranged.
Bayern is a test, not a verdict on a newcomer
Saturday's Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Bayern Munich is a glamorous first competitive test. It is also a terrible place to demand instant fluency from a new signing. Bayern have lost only one of their past 16 meetings with Dortmund and are unbeaten in eight visits to Signal Iduna Park. That history will punish loose spacing more reliably than it rewards a dramatic debut.
The strongest counterargument is that elite talent should play in elite matches. Dortmund did not sign Konstantelias through 2031 so he could admire the bench, and a home final is precisely where technical courage can alter the game. If he is physically ready and understands a limited role, using him is defensible.
But the useful measurement is not whether either Greek international produces one spectacular dribble. Watch whether Dortmund can progress through pressure without isolating the receiver, whether Guirassy gets support after holding the ball and whether the attacking midfielders counterpress from connected distances. A creator can improve all three without recording a goal or assist.
The season should make the attack less dependent
Dortmund's preseason offered encouragement and a warning. The 3–2 victory at Arsenal featured goals from new and young players, while the league's own preview noted defensive uncertainty. The subsequent draw with Roma supplied more useful combinations. Friendly results do not settle the quality of the system, but they show why adding technicians without protecting transitions would solve one problem by decorating another.
Kovač should therefore judge the new creative group as a network. How often does the first receiver have two progressive options? Who runs when a creator checks short? Who secures the centre when both attack? Those answers will determine whether Dortmund has built variety or simply collected it.
Konstantelias and Karetsas expand the attack's imagination. The next step is discipline: separate their spaces, connect their movements and let the ball choose the star of a given possession. Against Bayern, the best early sign would be an attack that looks less desperate for anybody to save it.
2026-2027 season
Bundesliga standings
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bayern Munich |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2 |  Borussia Dortmund |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 3 |  RB Leipzig |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 4 |  Stuttgart |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 5 |  Hoffenheim |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 6 |  Bayer Leverkusen |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 7 |  Freiburg |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 8 |  Eintracht Frankfurt |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 9 |  Augsburg |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 10 |  Mainz |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 11 |  Union Berlin |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 12 |  Borussia Mönchengladbach |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 13 |  Hamburg |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 14 |  Köln |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 15 |  Werder Bremen |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 16 |  Schalke 04 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 17 |  Elversberg |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 18 |  Paderborn |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
