Jadon Sancho | £72.9M fee agreed

[alexthelion]

Nevermind Sancho, how about Saka. Whats his contract situation?

As long as we want someone who only plays for half the game. He was pants second half.

 

[alexthelion]

Sterling has scored all of England's goals at the tournament so far.

Both Saka and Foden have looked more dangerous for England than Sancho does when he plays. This is hardly controversial.

Southgate doesn't know what to do with Sancho, and Sancho isn't as good as the BDL makes him look.

He's caught Rashforditis, plays crap but scores.

 

[RedRonaldo]

What a performance! I am afraid Dortmund will raise his price by another 10m after this 7 mins cameo!

 

[Glorio]

And making sure he doesn’t get injured before his medical. Double bravo

And making sure Bellingham pushes for a United transfer next summer. Triple bravo

 

[Eckers99]

Without checking, didn't Greenwood put up better numbers than Grealish? Yet Sancho with Greenwood numbers is nowhere near as good a player as Grealish. OK

Nope. Scored 1 more goal in the PL (understandable as he's a more advanced attacker) but was behind Grealish by pretty much every other metric.

 

[Sphaero]

Sancho is a great player. He's just not a good fit for the right wing unless his team is playing on the break and in really open games, where he'll have enough space that it doesn't really matter what foot is strongest. In Germany the play is very open and he was super productive on the RW for a few years but his production was overwhelmingly in transition and broken field situations, where his great composure and final ball make him a huge threat no matter what side he plays on. But he has only really shown the ability to be a top player against settled defenses and in slower paced matches - which is what you see in an international tournament - when playing on the left, which he eventually started to do at BvB. Almost all his goals and assists against low blocks in Germany were when playing on the left and almost all his goals and assists when playing for England have also come in the few matches he has played on the left. He has done absolutely nothing when played for England on the right.

His usage by Southgate makes a lot more sense when you realize that he's really a natural left winger competing with Sterling, Rashford, and Grealish for minutes at that position. That's just a tough group to beat out, especially when you're as young as Sancho.

I gotta be honest here, every time this left/right wing argument comes up I question if people actually watch Dortmund play or just look at the position on the spread sheet

For over a decade now and under multiple coaches (be it Klopp, Tuchel, Favre or Terzic) one trademark for Dortmunds attack was always fluid positions in the final third. The offensive midfielders, especially the wide players are not supposed to hold their flanks the whole time (that is largely the job of the full/wingbacks) but are supposed to roam and interchange frequently. Nowhere can this be seen as clearly as when Sancho and Reus share the pitch. They cross each other frequently, creating overlap on a side to shift attention of the opposing defenders and open spaces that way. They also don´t have a side they favour here to lessen predictability which leads to a very balanced offensive approach. Over the last season they build up the exact same percentages of attacking plays over both sides (38%), which is actually rather uncommon as teams usually prefer one side over the other (United for example builds up more over the left side). Sancho plays the side where he can have the most impact depending on the situation.

As for this whole argument about Sancho only being truly effective on the counter and being predicted to struggle against deep defenses. This might come as news to people who still equate Dortmund to the pressing and transition machine it was under Klopp, but they have not been a primarily counter based team for a long time now. Sure, they are able to punish harshly on the break due to the pace the attack has and enough players who are capable to play accurate long passes, but this is still not their dominant way to score goals. They averaged 60 % possession last season (level with Leipzig and behind Bayern in that regard in the league) and played the highest number of passes in the Bundesliga with around 620 per game (that is nearly 50 more than United averaged last season). These are not statistics for a counter team, but a team that is tasked in the majority of the games to be the active creator of the play and break open defenses.

Jadon Sancho has been extremely valuable in that regard. He is a creative player with good (but not outstanding) acceleration, exceptional close control, skilled in 1v1 and has a very good eye for opened passing and running paths. Another often overlooked part of his ability to create space is his very smart off the ball movement which has improved greatly in his time with Dortmund (I believe that he learned a lot in that regard from Reus, who is a master in that). He often makes (or fakes) runs that demand the attention of defenders which open options for his teammates, the largest benefector of this being Haaland who directly moves in that space to create danger.

In short, Sanchos entire skill set is made for breaking up defensive lines.

 

[marktan]

Rashford is a very good dribbler, but needs more space to do his thing (but really can't claim he isn't a very good dribbler). Pogba is an excellent dribbler, don't think there can be an argument with that. Bruno isn't a dribbler, but his style is still that of a gung ho player. Sancho would provide much more refined and consistent, reliable play on the ball for our attack and knit it together well. As a dribbler he is among the best in the world anyway.

How can you say Rashford is a very good dribbler? He can't dribble to save his life. Did you see the Europa League final? Ran into his man every single time. He's fast and can run with the ball, that doesn't make a technical dribbler. Someone like Ronaldo, Nani, they were fast but technical when dribbling.

And Sancho amongst the best in the world at dribbling?

You're genuinely in for a shock if / when Sancho signs for us. You can quote me.

 

[Semir_Tuce777]

First time saw him playing. So about 10mins then, couldnt see much but it seems he is "casual" with the ball.

 

[In Rainbows]

How can you say Rashford is a very good dribbler? He can't dribble to save his life. Did you see the Europa League final? Ran into his man every single time. He's fast and can run with the ball, that doesn't make a technical dribbler. Someone like Ronaldo, Nani, they were fast but technical when dribbling.

And Sancho amongst the best in the world at dribbling?

You're genuinely in for a shock if / when Sancho signs for us. You can quote me.

There is now another season, so these stats I posted a while ago need updating, but...

I posted these statistics a while back to showcase how Sancho might grow.

per 90 (successful/attempted/%successful)
Sancho age 18: 4.1/6.8 / 60.3%
Sancho age 19: 3.0 /5.4 / 55.6%

Hazard age 19: 2.0 /5.3 / 37.7%
Hazard age 20: 2.9 /6 / 48.3%
Hazard age 21: 2.5 /4.9 / 51%
Hazard age 22: 2.1 /4.4 / 47.7% (Premier League)
Hazard age 23: 4.1 /6.5 / 63.1% (Premier League)

Sane age 19: 3.3 /6.8 / 48.5%
Sane age 20: 3.5 /7.7 / 45.5%
Sage age 21: 2.7 /4.8 / 56.3% (PL)
Sane age 22: 3.2 /4.9 / 65.3% (PL)

I noted the players at similar ages, and used per 90 min statistics as I didn't want Sancho to have an unfair advantage that benefits the player that has more time per game to rack up successful dribbles.

As you can see, each player had a year of adjustment in their first season in the PL. Their 2nd season in the PL started to show off similar or better dribbling statistics compared to their teenage years in the "less competitive" league. Going off these statistics, it shows that Sancho was the better dribbler in their teenage years.

So seeing as Sancho is about to have his age 20 season next year, we could be looking at something special in terms of disrupting defenses or causing fear in defenses.

his last season at age 20 (most of the season at that age)
3 dribbles/5.3 attempts/57% successful

 

[Powderfinger]

I gotta be honest here, every time this left/right wing argument comes up I question if people actually watch Dortmund play or just look at the position on the spread sheet

For over a decade now and under multiple coaches (be it Klopp, Tuchel, Favre or Terzic) one trademark for Dortmunds attack was always fluid positions in the final third. The offensive midfielders, especially the wide players are not supposed to hold their flanks the whole time (that is largely the job of the full/wingbacks) but are supposed to roam and interchange frequently. Nowhere can this be seen as clearly as when Sancho and Reus share the pitch. They cross each other frequently, creating overlap on a side to shift attention of the opposing defenders and open spaces that way. They also don´t have a side they favour here to lessen predictability which leads to a very balanced offensive approach. Over the last season they build up the exact same percentages of attacking plays over both sides (38%), which is actually rather uncommon as teams usually prefer one side over the other (United for example builds up more over the left side). Sancho plays the side where he can have the most impact depending on the situation.

As for this whole argument about Sancho only being truly effective on the counter and being predicted to struggle against deep defenses. This might come as news to people who still equate Dortmund to the pressing and transition machine it was under Klopp, but they have not been a primarily counter based team for a long time now. Sure, they are able to punish harshly on the break due to the pace the attack has and enough players who are capable to play accurate long passes, but this is still not their dominant way to score goals. They averaged 60 % possession last season (level with Leipzig and behind Bayern in that regard in the league) and played the highest number of passes in the Bundesliga with around 620 per game (that is nearly 50 more than United averaged last season). These are not statistics for a counter team, but a team that is tasked in the majority of the games to be the active creator of the play and break open defenses.

Jadon Sancho has been extremely valuable in that regard. He is a creative player with good (but not outstanding) acceleration, exceptional close control, skilled in 1v1 and has a very good eye for opened passing and running paths. Another often overlooked part of his ability to create space is his very smart off the ball movement which has improved greatly in his time with Dortmund (I believe that he learned a lot in that regard from Reus, who is a master in that). He often makes (or fakes) runs that demand the attention of defenders which open options for his teammates, the largest benefector of this being Haaland who directly moves in that space to create danger.

In short, Sanchos entire skill set is made for breaking up defensive lines.

I appreciate all this perspective from a BvB supporter but I don’t see that as contradicting any of the fundamental points I made.

I haven’t watched nearly as much of him as you but I’ve seen a good number of matches plus highlight videos of every goal and assist he has made in the Bundesliga. He simply does not score or create very much from the right side of the pitch against settled defenses. Almost all his good work in such situations comes from the left when he can cut inside on his right foot and use that right foot to dribble, shoot, or pass. And he is fantastic in those situations from the left. I don’t know where he is on the team sheet. My focus is what he can do in particular areas of the pitch and specific game situations. And he does his damage from the left against settled defenses.

This isnt a knock on Sancho. There are nearly no top level right footed RWs now in football, so it’s not about him it’s about trends in the game. This is just how football has evolved, against lowblocks and organized defenses it’s very difficult to be an effective half space creator and influential player unless you’re strong on the inside foot.

 

[Cman]

Excellent post mate. Cheers

 

[Tarrou]

southgate is doing us a bit of a solid here

if he was having a good tournament you can bet Dortmund would be trying their best to milk it in the negotiations

 

[Silverman]

Sick of this crap now.
We are a joke when it comes to completing transfers.

 

[RUCK4444]

Even the journos are bored of this one now, in fairness even when your making stuff up for a living you can only rehash ‘personal terms agreed’ and ‘negotiating add-ons’ so much…

 

[Isotope]

...

When I look at the kind of football England plays I dont think he is a perfect fit sadly. He isnt the deep runner but thats exactly Southgates kind of football. Everytime I watch England I call it semi kick an rush and it gives me headache because there are players available which can literally dominate most opponents with flat passes.

I also dont think he struggled more or less than the other players in front. Actually prior to this game his actual scoring per minute statistics for england were better than of sterling, foden or grealish. Southgate just plays ultimative conservative football which doesnt allow any player to really shine.

I can assure you if you sign him your eyes will fall out. Imho him and Mbappe are the most electryfying attacking talents in the world right now - and yes I rate him higher than Haaland.

This kind of contradicting. England and United are pretty similar on their style and setup. Why would Sancho fit in at United then?

 

[bosnian_red]

How can you say Rashford is a very good dribbler? He can't dribble to save his life. Did you see the Europa League final? Ran into his man every single time. He's fast and can run with the ball, that doesn't make a technical dribbler. Someone like Ronaldo, Nani, they were fast but technical when dribbling.

And Sancho amongst the best in the world at dribbling?

You're genuinely in for a shock if / when Sancho signs for us. You can quote me.

Ive watched plenty of Sancho, not in for a shock you can trust me. Maybe we just have completely different definitions of what being a good dribbler is. Statistically speaking:

• 99th percentile in Europe for "carries"
• 97th percentile for progressive carries
• 98th percentile for carries into the final 3rd
• 96th percentile for carries into the box
• 96th percentile for dribbles completed
• 97th percentile for dribbles attempted
• 96th percentile for players dribbled past
• 99th percentile for nutmegs

I'd say the stats speak for themselves here when Sancho is compared to other wingers around europe with his per 90 stats. It's actually weird to suggest he isn't when he is literally at the very top of the ranks for every dribbling stat imaginable.

Rashford is at 90th or above percentile in dribbles completed, dribbles attempted, players dribbled past, nutmegs, and then 89th in the carries into the penalty area. Rashfords dribbling is inconsistent, but he's capable of being an excellent dribbler and has had great success with it too. Not as good with it this past year as the year before, largely due to injuries IMO, but anyway. He's a good dribbled, but more a runner with the ball in space rather than from a standing start. Sancho very capable either way.

 

[Rob Bowman]

I gotta be honest here, every time this left/right wing argument comes up I question if people actually watch Dortmund play or just look at the position on the spread sheet

For over a decade now and under multiple coaches (be it Klopp, Tuchel, Favre or Terzic) one trademark for Dortmunds attack was always fluid positions in the final third. The offensive midfielders, especially the wide players are not supposed to hold their flanks the whole time (that is largely the job of the full/wingbacks) but are supposed to roam and interchange frequently. Nowhere can this be seen as clearly as when Sancho and Reus share the pitch. They cross each other frequently, creating overlap on a side to shift attention of the opposing defenders and open spaces that way. They also don´t have a side they favour here to lessen predictability which leads to a very balanced offensive approach. Over the last season they build up the exact same percentages of attacking plays over both sides (38%), which is actually rather uncommon as teams usually prefer one side over the other (United for example builds up more over the left side). Sancho plays the side where he can have the most impact depending on the situation.

As for this whole argument about Sancho only being truly effective on the counter and being predicted to struggle against deep defenses. This might come as news to people who still equate Dortmund to the pressing and transition machine it was under Klopp, but they have not been a primarily counter based team for a long time now. Sure, they are able to punish harshly on the break due to the pace the attack has and enough players who are capable to play accurate long passes, but this is still not their dominant way to score goals. They averaged 60 % possession last season (level with Leipzig and behind Bayern in that regard in the league) and played the highest number of passes in the Bundesliga with around 620 per game (that is nearly 50 more than United averaged last season). These are not statistics for a counter team, but a team that is tasked in the majority of the games to be the active creator of the play and break open defenses.

Jadon Sancho has been extremely valuable in that regard. He is a creative player with good (but not outstanding) acceleration, exceptional close control, skilled in 1v1 and has a very good eye for opened passing and running paths. Another often overlooked part of his ability to create space is his very smart off the ball movement which has improved greatly in his time with Dortmund (I believe that he learned a lot in that regard from Reus, who is a master in that). He often makes (or fakes) runs that demand the attention of defenders which open options for his teammates, the largest benefector of this being Haaland who directly moves in that space to create danger.

In short, Sanchos entire skill set is made for breaking up defensive lines.

I appreciate all this perspective from a BvB supporter but I don’t see that as contradicting any of the fundamental points I made.

I haven’t watched nearly as much of him as you but I’ve seen a good number of matches plus highlight videos of every goal and assist he has made in the Bundesliga. He simply does not score or create very much from the right side of the pitch against settled defenses. Almost all his good work in such situations comes from the left when he can cut inside on his right foot and use that right foot to dribble, shoot, or pass. And he is fantastic in those situations from the left. I don’t know where he is on the team sheet. My focus is what he can do in particular areas of the pitch and specific game situations. And he does his damage from the left against settled defenses.

This isnt a knock on Sancho. There are nearly no top level right footed RWs now in football, so it’s not about him it’s about trends in the game. This is just how football has evolved, against lowblocks and organized defenses it’s very difficult to be an effective half space creator and influential player unless you’re strong on the inside foot.

Thanks for the posts both but I tend to believe the Dortmund fan especially when the stas back him...

https://smarterscout.com/articles/jadon-sancho-borussia-dortmund-bundesliga-premier-league

 

[RazorOz]

England form is a nonsense way to judge players. Firstly Sancho has never had a proper run in the England side, he did have a few good games (eg. vs Kosovo), admittedly vs weaker opposition, but he's barely played for England vs better opposition anyway, and secondly how many players actually shine for England? If you went on this Euros Kane wouldn't be worth 20m, let and out 120m. Going back many years though you could look at the Gerrard/Lampard era where neither looked anywhere near as good for England as their clubs.

 

[Bondi77]

He'd do what??!!



Oh, "sub".

 

[Bondi77]

England form is a nonsense way to judge players. Firstly Sancho has never had a proper run in the England side, he did have a few good games (eg. vs Kosovo), admittedly vs weaker opposition, but he's barely played for England vs better opposition anyway, and secondly how many players actually shine for England? If you went on this Euros Kane wouldn't be worth 20m, let and out 120m. Going back many years though you could look at the Gerrard/Lampard era where neither looked anywhere near as good for England as their clubs.

Yes, but the y were outstanding for their clubs in ENGLAND and we have obviously not seen Sancho do that as he has not played here yet and that us the sticking point....maybe he will shine and maybe he won't but we will not know that until he has at least played a season here and until that happens this thread will go around and around and around

 

[Organic Potatoes]

I gotta be honest here, every time this left/right wing argument comes up I question if people actually watch Dortmund play or just look at the position on the spread sheet

For over a decade now and under multiple coaches (be it Klopp, Tuchel, Favre or Terzic) one trademark for Dortmunds attack was always fluid positions in the final third. The offensive midfielders, especially the wide players are not supposed to hold their flanks the whole time (that is largely the job of the full/wingbacks) but are supposed to roam and interchange frequently. Nowhere can this be seen as clearly as when Sancho and Reus share the pitch. They cross each other frequently, creating overlap on a side to shift attention of the opposing defenders and open spaces that way. They also don´t have a side they favour here to lessen predictability which leads to a very balanced offensive approach. Over the last season they build up the exact same percentages of attacking plays over both sides (38%), which is actually rather uncommon as teams usually prefer one side over the other (United for example builds up more over the left side). Sancho plays the side where he can have the most impact depending on the situation.

As for this whole argument about Sancho only being truly effective on the counter and being predicted to struggle against deep defenses. This might come as news to people who still equate Dortmund to the pressing and transition machine it was under Klopp, but they have not been a primarily counter based team for a long time now. Sure, they are able to punish harshly on the break due to the pace the attack has and enough players who are capable to play accurate long passes, but this is still not their dominant way to score goals. They averaged 60 % possession last season (level with Leipzig and behind Bayern in that regard in the league) and played the highest number of passes in the Bundesliga with around 620 per game (that is nearly 50 more than United averaged last season). These are not statistics for a counter team, but a team that is tasked in the majority of the games to be the active creator of the play and break open defenses.

Jadon Sancho has been extremely valuable in that regard. He is a creative player with good (but not outstanding) acceleration, exceptional close control, skilled in 1v1 and has a very good eye for opened passing and running paths. Another often overlooked part of his ability to create space is his very smart off the ball movement which has improved greatly in his time with Dortmund (I believe that he learned a lot in that regard from Reus, who is a master in that). He often makes (or fakes) runs that demand the attention of defenders which open options for his teammates, the largest benefector of this being Haaland who directly moves in that space to create danger.

In short, Sanchos entire skill set is made for breaking up defensive lines.

I wish this could get threadmarked.

 

[Rolaholic]

Don’t be concerned. Southgate has his pets and his delusion that the German league isn’t a good level.

I don't think he rates the other leagues outside of Spain, only explanation for why the likes of Ben White, Coady and Tyrone Mings were selected ahead of one of the best defenders in Italy last season in Tomori.

 

[sglowrider]

I don't think he rates the other leagues outside of Spain, only explanation for why the likes of Ben White, Coady and Tyrone Mings were selected ahead of one of the best defenders in Italy last season in Tomori.

Or maybe Southgate has not been able to fly around to see (with his own eyes) the other players due to the Covid travel restrictions?

 

[Ali Dia]

I watched every Dortmund game in the last 10 years and Dortmund never had a player which can shred deep sitting defenses as Sancho can. There he shines by far the most. Its not when he has space because he is quick but not fast. He is brilliant when he can take on players 1on1 and open space by that on his own. His pre assists statistic are as insane as his scoring/assisting statistics. He is by far the most important player and when he is missing Dortmund has huge issues playing vs. counter attack teams.

When I look at the kind of football England plays I dont think he is a perfect fit sadly. He isnt the deep runner but thats exactly Southgates kind of football. Everytime I watch England I call it semi kick an rush and it gives me headache because there are players available which can literally dominate most opponents with flat passes.

I also dont think he struggled more or less than the other players in front. Actually prior to this game his actual scoring per minute statistics for england were better than of sterling, foden or grealish. Southgate just plays ultimative conservative football which doesnt allow any player to really shine.

I can assure you if you sign him your eyes will fall out. Imho him and Mbappe are the most electryfying attacking talents in the world right now - and yes I rate him higher than Haaland.

Good post!

 

[amolbhatia50k]

.

I watched every Dortmund game in the last 10 years and Dortmund never had a player which can shred deep sitting defenses as Sancho can. There he shines by far the most. Its not when he has space because he is quick but not fast. He is brilliant when he can take on players 1on1 and open space by that on his own. His pre assists statistic are as insane as his scoring/assisting statistics. He is by far the most important player and when he is missing Dortmund has huge issues playing vs. counter attack teams.

When I look at the kind of football England plays I dont think he is a perfect fit sadly. He isnt the deep runner but thats exactly Southgates kind of football. Everytime I watch England I call it semi kick an rush and it gives me headache because there are players available which can literally dominate most opponents with flat passes.

I also dont think he struggled more or less than the other players in front. Actually prior to this game his actual scoring per minute statistics for england were better than of sterling, foden or grealish. Southgate just plays ultimative conservative football which doesnt allow any player to really shine.

I can assure you if you sign him your eyes will fall out. Imho him and Mbappe are the most electryfying attacking talents in the world right now - and yes I rate him higher than Haaland.

Great post. I think he's wonderful. I can see him taking a season or half a season to hit his absolute best especially if we as a teams struggle. But for the long run he is exactly what we need and a brilliant talent whose technical ability, intelligence and passing quality means he is suited to breaking deep defences.

 

[Knightmare7]

I'm sorry but is this Sancho guy worth his salt? I know he is talented blah blah blah but is not signing him means end of the title challenge? Come on now.. let's be real..

If he signs, he will get like what, 15 goals and 15 assists? Would you call that a success? Still wouldn't win us the league, a step closer but he alone won't win us the league..

Spend the money elsewhere where it's more needed. Let Amad and greenwood develop on the RW.

Jeezzzz...

What are you on about? You can never have too many creative playmakers. Sancho creates service for Cavani, can break teams down, and forces opponents to spread out defensively. What I mean by that is simple: opponents often overload towards the Rashford/Shaw side of the pitch because that’s the main attacking threat. Teams cheat away because we lack consistent creativity on the right.

It’s more than just numbers: you can’t quantify how a winger will open up a side of a pitch and force teams to direct more defenders to a certain area of the pitch

 

[Knightmare7]

New rule: any person saying that you can judge a single thing from a player’s performances on a national team deserves to be shot out of a cannon into the sun

 

[Wibble]

New rule: any person saying that you can judge a single thing from a player’s performances on a national team deserves to be shot out of a cannon into the sun

Or made to watch the movie version of CATS every day for life.

 

[wise_old_man]

Didn't Havertz and Werner have incredible seasons in their last season in Germany?

Both looked rather averageat best against teams who know how to defend.

Sancho is quality if you give him acres of space. Without it he will struggle just like our other players do and get crucified for it.

Havertz scored the Champions League winner for Chelsea, and Werner was instrumental in how they played that final too.

 

[Wibble]

I watched every Dortmund game in the last 10 years and Dortmund never had a player which can shred deep sitting defenses as Sancho can. There he shines by far the most. Its not when he has space because he is quick but not fast. He is brilliant when he can take on players 1on1 and open space by that on his own. His pre assists statistic are as insane as his scoring/assisting statistics. He is by far the most important player and when he is missing Dortmund has huge issues playing vs. counter attack teams.

When I look at the kind of football England plays I dont think he is a perfect fit sadly. He isnt the deep runner but thats exactly Southgates kind of football. Everytime I watch England I call it semi kick an rush and it gives me headache because there are players available which can literally dominate most opponents with flat passes.

I also dont think he struggled more or less than the other players in front. Actually prior to this game his actual scoring per minute statistics for england were better than of sterling, foden or grealish. Southgate just plays ultimative conservative football which doesnt allow any player to really shine.

I can assure you if you sign him your eyes will fall out. Imho him and Mbappe are the most electryfying attacking talents in the world right now - and yes I rate him higher than Haaland.

I have only watched him for 5 mins for England ever and I think you are wrong as he did nothing in that 5 mins

 

[the_cliff]

I have only watched him for 5 mins for England ever and I think you are wrong as he did nothing in that 5 mins

We won’t win the Euros, but we are definitely front runners in the sarcasm olympics.

 

[wise_old_man]

I gotta be honest here, every time this left/right wing argument comes up I question if people actually watch Dortmund play or just look at the position on the spread sheet

For over a decade now and under multiple coaches (be it Klopp, Tuchel, Favre or Terzic) one trademark for Dortmunds attack was always fluid positions in the final third. The offensive midfielders, especially the wide players are not supposed to hold their flanks the whole time (that is largely the job of the full/wingbacks) but are supposed to roam and interchange frequently. Nowhere can this be seen as clearly as when Sancho and Reus share the pitch. They cross each other frequently, creating overlap on a side to shift attention of the opposing defenders and open spaces that way. They also don´t have a side they favour here to lessen predictability which leads to a very balanced offensive approach. Over the last season they build up the exact same percentages of attacking plays over both sides (38%), which is actually rather uncommon as teams usually prefer one side over the other (United for example builds up more over the left side). Sancho plays the side where he can have the most impact depending on the situation.

As for this whole argument about Sancho only being truly effective on the counter and being predicted to struggle against deep defenses. This might come as news to people who still equate Dortmund to the pressing and transition machine it was under Klopp, but they have not been a primarily counter based team for a long time now. Sure, they are able to punish harshly on the break due to the pace the attack has and enough players who are capable to play accurate long passes, but this is still not their dominant way to score goals. They averaged 60 % possession last season (level with Leipzig and behind Bayern in that regard in the league) and played the highest number of passes in the Bundesliga with around 620 per game (that is nearly 50 more than United averaged last season). These are not statistics for a counter team, but a team that is tasked in the majority of the games to be the active creator of the play and break open defenses.

Jadon Sancho has been extremely valuable in that regard. He is a creative player with good (but not outstanding) acceleration, exceptional close control, skilled in 1v1 and has a very good eye for opened passing and running paths. Another often overlooked part of his ability to create space is his very smart off the ball movement which has improved greatly in his time with Dortmund (I believe that he learned a lot in that regard from Reus, who is a master in that). He often makes (or fakes) runs that demand the attention of defenders which open options for his teammates, the largest benefector of this being Haaland who directly moves in that space to create danger.

In short, Sanchos entire skill set is made for breaking up defensive lines.

I think Sancho will have an instant impact (Bruno-esque) when he joins us. The thing I'm dreading about is this trend of Manchester United players bursting into the scene with outstanding performances, only to fade into bad form later. Bruno Fernandes could be considered the latest victim of this "trend".

 

[Pexbo]

Big day today. Today is the biggest so far.

 

[lysglimt]

From watching him play about 18 times for England and not looked that great. He's got 3 goals, two of which came in one game.

Sancho isn't a bad player. People are getting their knickers in a twist here. He's just not a world beater either. The Bundesliga is just a very attack based league.

If goals are that important - Saka has scored 12 for Arsenal, Sancho who is a year older has scored 50.

 

[lysglimt]

Yea but Southgate sees him in training and he doesn’t think he’s good enough, so you know, swings and roundabouts.

Chelsea didn't think de Bruyne and Salah were good enough - just because Southgate doesn't think he is the best fit for his system, doesn't mean he isnt a quality player

 

[The Boy]

I have only watched him for 5 mins for England ever and I think you are wrong as he did nothing in that 5 mins

Looks like CATS for you

 

[Wibble]

Looks like CATS for you

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

[The Boy]

I'm genuinely interested in how Sancho works out, the BVB fans in this thread clearly rate him very highly, I'm not sure why some Utd fans are a bit meh about him.
I haven't really watched BVB outside the Champions League, but if he is a good as some are saying, you lot could be in for a real treat once he settles and get used to his new team mates. There will be a need for patience though if he doesn't score or assist a hat trick in his first two games for you!

 

[RedRonaldo]

I'm genuinely interested in how Sancho works out, the BVB fans in this thread clearly rate him very highly, I'm not sure why some Utd fans are a bit meh about him.
I haven't really watched BVB outside the Champions League, but if he is a good as some are saying, you lot could be in for a real treat once he settles and get used to his new team mates. There will be a need for patience though if he doesn't score or assist a hat trick in his first two games for you!

Well it’s not that difficult to understand why, as he never had a good game for England, while other top BL stars like Werner and Havertz didn’t quite really impress in PL last season either. Similar to Bruno signings not long ago (who only did it in Portugal), there will be some doubts for Sancho too.

 

[RedRonaldo]

I watched every Dortmund game in the last 10 years and Dortmund never had a player which can shred deep sitting defenses as Sancho can. There he shines by far the most. Its not when he has space because he is quick but not fast. He is brilliant when he can take on players 1on1 and open space by that on his own. His pre assists statistic are as insane as his scoring/assisting statistics. He is by far the most important player and when he is missing Dortmund has huge issues playing vs. counter attack teams.

When I look at the kind of football England plays I dont think he is a perfect fit sadly. He isnt the deep runner but thats exactly Southgates kind of football. Everytime I watch England I call it semi kick an rush and it gives me headache because there are players available which can literally dominate most opponents with flat passes.

I also dont think he struggled more or less than the other players in front. Actually prior to this game his actual scoring per minute statistics for england were better than of sterling, foden or grealish. Southgate just plays ultimative conservative football which doesnt allow any player to really shine.

I can assure you if you sign him your eyes will fall out. Imho him and Mbappe are the most electryfying attacking talents in the world right now - and yes I rate him higher than Haaland.

Good observation, which begs the question, would he be a good fit for us? Ole likes to play conservative football with McFred too, you know.