Carney Chukwuemeka makes a case for more playing time
It's been a challenging season for Carney Chukwuemeka, whose playing time was drastically reduced. Across six Bundesliga games, the Austrian international saw a grand total of 25 minutes, coming off the bench for his only appearance in the competition so far against Paderborn.
Following a productive international campaign with Das Team, wherein he also bagged his second international goal, the midfielder must have hoped for his club fortunes to change, but it didn't - until Tuesday, when Niko Kovac finally convinced himself to give Chukwuemeka a chance.
Interestingly, it was also his 23rd birthday, and he repaid the manager's gift with a compelling performance in their 2-1 victory over Sabah FK in the Champions League that would surely prompt Kovac into reconsidering his position in the side.
Chukwuemeka was one of the four changes that Kovac made to his lineup, opting for a more attacking formation of 3-1-4-2 wherein he played behind the two strikers, Serhou Guirassy and Fabio Silva.
The position offered him the license to roam forward as the player added dynamism to Dortmund's attack. He was always willing to receive passes and became a nice outlet for chances with his defense-splitting through balls.
He set up Guirassy with a fabulous chance early on, but the Guinea shot right at the Sabah goalkeeper. But in the 10th minute, Chukwuemeka played a crucial role in creating their opening goal, as the Austrian linked up brilliantly with Silva in a nicely coordinated one-two. He then teed up Felix Nmecha, whose shot was spilled by Stas Pokatilov, but Guirassy showed great awareness to race ahead and bundle home the loose ball for 1-0.
No player in the Dortmund side created as many chances as Chukwuemeka, who emerged as their creative force with five chances. Some poor finishing cruelly denied him an assist or two which he would have totally deserved.
Sabah just had no answer to his mobility. He wasn't there to just to receive a pass and circulate the ball, but Chukwuemeka actively contributed in the attack, adding urgency and menace which BVB's midfield had been missing in recent games.
The former Chelsea man also tracked back in defensive moments, a further testament of his work-rate. He made five recoveries and won four of his six attempted ground duels whilst also making two interceptions, showing his willingness to help his side out in moments of defensive pressure.
With such an encouraging all-round display, Chukwuemeka has made quite a case for himself here. The arrival of new players, coupled with Kovac sticking to Felix Nmecha-Jobe Bellingham pivot in midfield had severely diminished his chances. But the 23-year-old clearly offers value, and deserves more time to express himself.
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