Food for thought: Can Usain Bolt really be successful at Borussia Dortmund?
What many considered just another pipe-dream by just another superstar has become a reality. The world’s sprint champion, Usain Bolt, has completed his trial with Borussia Dortmund and it wasn’t a disappointment at all!
The Jamaican speedster looked fresh and revamped, following months of training and as per a report from Goal, the sprinter has given himself a seven out of ten, during his two-day trial with the German giants. The same report also goes to state that Bolt thinks he was convincing enough to earn another chance to impress and we couldn’t agree more.
The 31-year-old gelled well with his potential teammates, especially Mario Gotze, who delivered a stunning cross to the Jamaican superstar, who made no mistake putting the ball in the back of the net with a thumping header.
New Levels #NextJourney pic.twitter.com/aeOilbnSq9
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) March 23, 2018
Therefore, there could be a possibility that the world-record holder might be coming back for another training session with the club in the nigh future. With that in mind, let’s try to decode his best position, should he don the BVB jersey next season!
First, we will look into a number of positions where Bolt can be deployed at. There are a number of possibilities (and being a goalkeeper is one of them) and we will try to decode the likeliest one for the 31-year-old.
Featuring as a centre-back can work out well for Bolt. Dortmund, in recent years, have embraced a higher line of pressing, meaning the defensive line often stays quite high in order to minimize the space for the opposition.
That being said, however, Dortmund’s relative lack of space in the defensive department has often left them completely exposed in the back. And in that case, Bolt’s presence in the centre of the defence might be helpful.
The Jamaican boasts of scintillating pace which can help him make up ground even if the opposing attacker steers clear of him. In addition, his strength and impressive physique will also make him a formidable presence in the defensive department.
However, as per a report from The Mirror, the Jamaican speedster had previously wanted to play as a winger. In fact, the same report also claims that he wanted to play in that position for Manchester United back in 2012.
Although he may possess the pace necessary for a winger, Bolt’s ball-playing quality is questionable. Furthermore, considering his lack of experience in football, being deployed as a winger might prove to be a very unlikely proposition for Bolt. At present, the German giants have a lot of world-class wingers in their ranks, meaning it would be almost impossible for him to make a breakthrough into the starting lineup.
At the end of the day, however, Bolt seems much better suited as a central defender more than anything else. Even though some rate him as a good striker, Bolt’s lack of footballing touch might prove to be detrimental to Dortmund in the attacking third.