“I am sad to leave, but very proud to say that I have represented this club for 4 years. Made many great friends, played with top players, worked with great staff”he said after the victory against Union Berlin (2-1), which was also the last of Erling Haaland before his departure to Manchester City, and of the emblematic sporting director Michael Zorc, the man who settled the arrival of Witsel four years earlier.
Eager to return to Europe after eighteen months in China, far from the thrills of the high level, the Red Devil found the ideal base in Dortmund. A historic club, an outsider in the national title, a regular participant in the Champions League and the promise of an important role. All just a two-hour drive from Liège and its loved ones. “He is a player with great international experience who has all the skills to lead the midfield: tactical understanding, power, speed, creativity and mentality”, rejoiced Michael Zorc on the day of his signing, August 6, 2018.
He has all the skills to lead the midfield.
Scorer in his first Bundesliga match, Axel Witsel immediately became an essential starter in Lucien Favre's midfield. Just like with his successor Edin Terzic, from December 2020. Except that he will ultimately only have played five matches under his command… because of the terrible tear in the Achilles tendon suffered on January 9, five months before the Euro. “It looked like a piece of wood had broken in two”he testified.
What followed was a long and painful period of suffering, far from the field and even from his loved ones, since he was staying in an apartment in Antwerp to facilitate the rehabilitation sessions. But at the end of which a double great happiness came to reward him. Firstly that of the arrival of his third daughter, Aydji, born at the beginning of May. Then obviously that of his miraculous participation in the Euro. “I never told myself that it was impossible, I always believed in it. It was a serious injury, but the Euro was always in the back of my mind.”
The defensive test
The return to Dortmund a few weeks later was with Marco Rose, the coach who unknowingly played a role in his departure and especially in his future destination. Because at the start of this 2021-2022 season, the last before the end of his contract, Witsel had to play troubleshooter in the central defense of the BVB. “This is not my position. Everyone knows that I prefer to play defensive midfielder”he repeats, despite five appearances in this position, alongside Manuel Akanji in a four-man defense… which in reality did not suit him.
Without automatisms in this position, without the physical assets of a real central defender and with limited speed, the Liégeois experienced great difficulties in this forced reconversion. Except against Frankfurt, against whom Dortmund largely dominated the ball. His constructive advantages were finally able to shine… to put Atletico on notice. “We wanted to be dominant in the game, so we needed a calm player with a lot of ball skills”justified Marco Rose, whose style usually in rapid transition did not necessarily match Witsel's qualities.
I spent four great years there.
This was also one of the arguments used by the BVB for its non-renewal of contract a few months later, after 145 matches spent in the yellow and black jacket. “I spent four great years therehe told beIN Sports last week. We had a very good team with a lot of qualities. It has changed a lot today, but there are still a few players, like Marco Reus, Mats Hummels, Emre Can or Jadon Sancho.”
Edin Terzic returned to the bench after Rose's dismissal to breathe new life into the team. “They press a lot, they like to have possession of the ball, they have very fast players who can make the difference”observes Witsel, who has become one of Atletico's best assets in its five-man defense and even one of the centerpieces of “Cholo-taka”, the name given to Diego Simeone's new playing philosophy who will try to keep its advantage acquired last Wednesday in Madrid.
Atletico-Dortmund: mistakes, waste, an awakening and a big suspense for Tuesday
