Far too short in the other dimension? What Borussia Dortmund could still do now after a shock diagnosis for Giannis Konstantelias
After only just under 100 minutes of playing time for Borussia Dortmund, Giannis Konstantelias is already well on the way to becoming the new fans’ favourite. If Borussia have to dip into the market once more, he himself may now first have to be a spectator for a long time.
"These are two lads who can bring, and will bring, a different dimension to us here - they showed that today," Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said on Sky after Saturday evening's 2-0 home win against Hamburger SV.
Giannis Konstantelias and Konstantinos Karetsas lit up their Bundesliga debuts and gave BVB something that had often been missing at Signal Iduna Park of late: spectacular football. Not spectacle for its own sake, though. They played for the team and, at the start of the Bundesliga season, in a way that also brought results. "The personnel give you what many perhaps also demand: spectacular things. We've improved that a bit again this year. I hope these lads, who are technically very strong, show their abilities," Kovac had already said before the match, setting out his expectations.
BVB: How good was Giannis Konstantelias against HSV?
Across an exciting first 45 minutes against HSV, Karetsas and Konstantelias repeatedly drove Dortmund's attacking play. The latter confirmed the promising signs he had already shown in the Super Cup against Bayern Munich (1-2) last weekend: Konstantelias' close control at top speed is impressive, as are his agility and the smoothness of his movement. He also brings a high level of aggression without the ball, shown on Saturday evening not least by the ball win in midfield after around half an hour that the crowd celebrated frenetically.
Then came the much-quoted cherry on the cake. Konstantelias struck for the final 2-0 shortly before half-time and celebrated his first goal for BVB straight away. "First half top, it was perfect. We did everything we wanted to do," defensive leader Waldemar Anton enthused on Sky about Dortmund's display before the break. The goal arrived with a touch of fortune because the ball took a deflection off a Hamburg defender, but it still carried real imagination because the Greece international had actually aimed a no-look finish at the near corner.
After only around 100 minutes in a black-and-yellow shirt, Konstantelias is already well on the way to becoming a crowd favourite. It was easy to imagine him building on that in the coming weeks. But for now, and not just from BVB's point of view, but also for the neutral Bundesliga viewer, we may not get to see Konstantelias weaving his magic as beautifully as he did on his league debut.
Has BVB new signing Giannis Konstantelias suffered a serious injury?
"Of course, today we should be a little bit careful about what we communicate. But we are definitely concerned about a more serious injury," Dortmund sporting director Ole Book said on Sky, adding when asked whether Konstantelias could have suffered a cruciate ligament tear: "The concern is there."
Shortly after narrowly missing his second goal, Konstantelias seemed to injure his knee with an unfortunate movement in a challenge. He first went to ground and, when he came off in the 54th minute, looked as though he feared the worst. If those fears are confirmed after more detailed examinations on Sunday and Konstantelias is indeed ruled out for months, it would be a bitter blow after such a promising debut, both for him personally and for BVB.
The 26-million-euro new signing has already done more than hint at how much he improves Borussia's attacking play. Without him, it certainly looked more sluggish. BVB were no longer so dominant in the second half, partly because the visitors from Hamburg improved significantly. But they also lost a huge amount of mobility and invention when Konstantelias left the pitch.
"When Dortmund switch play from right to left, play into the spaces in between, you first spend a lot of time chasing and don't really manage to get into the press. That was our problem," HSV captain Nicolai Remberg explained on Sky why they had so little to offer against BVB in the first half.
Giannis Konstantelias and Konstantinos Karetsas excite at BVB
Together with compatriot Karetsas, Konstantelias was the biggest reason for Hamburg's problems. The two new creative minds constantly rotated intelligently and, with their perfect ball control, kept the game between the lines at an enormously high level while making it quick and precise. "Brutal," was how Anton described the display of the two Greeks. "The mobility they have, how dangerous they are, that is a great quality at that age and it's something we also need for the future. I'm glad we have them with us."
After those first impressions from the duo, not only BVB fans are likely to think it would be a shame if Karetsas now had to go without his ideal partner for a longer spell. From Dortmund's point of view, one urgent question follows: how do you replace Konstantelias? "I felt incredibly sorry for the lad. From day one here, he has had a great presence, including in the dressing room. We all already like him very much. When you then play such a good first half and have to be substituted and something more serious is feared, it's just unbelievably annoying," Book stressed, having followed the injury to the attacking midfielder, whom he and the other club bosses absolutely wanted, with a worried expression.
For Konstantelias, Kovac sent on the more defensively minded Marcel Sabitzer on Saturday, and the Austrian understandably lacked his predecessor's esprit. In pure profile terms, Samuele Inacio, who caused a stir after coming on against HSV with a lightning red card and had to leave the pitch again quickly, would be the natural replacement for Konstantelias. But whether the 18-year-old top talent is already ready for that to the necessary extent remains open to doubt.
Could Jadon Sancho now return to BVB once again?
Maximilian Beier is a more experienced alternative, although Kovac would then have to move away from his plan to use the Germany international on one of the two flanks in future. That would then leave Beier's place on the wings vacant in the squad.
Either way, the transfer minds could easily start whirring again in the few remaining days before the summer transfer window closes on Tuesday (1 September) at 8pm. Which last-minute help could come into consideration as a direct replacement if the worst fears about Konstantelias come true?
Said El Mala, Dortmund's preferred target before the Konstantelias deal, has extended with 1. FC Cologne and is no longer available. One name could now force its way back into the conversation: Jadon Sancho. The Englishman would be a natural solution, is a similar type of player to Konstantelias and, like him and Karetsas, has the quality to create dynamism from a standing start. There has been no shortage of speculation in recent weeks and months about Sancho returning to BVB once again, even if it naturally died down after the signings of Karetsas and Konstantelias.
In Dortmund, Sancho enjoyed the best spell of his career so far. And after his contract expired at Manchester United, the now 26-year-old is still without a new club and would be available on a free transfer. That would make it a low-risk move, although Sancho would have to accept a significant pay cut for a third spell at Borussia. Then there is the sporting question of whether the former super talent can even hit top form again. His recent loans to Chelsea FC and Aston Villa were, as is well known, largely disappointing.
