As the Club World Cup is approaching its end, Dortmund Sports General Manager Ricken accepted an interview with Ruhr News, saying: "We don't need to discuss the issue of introducing midfielders." This statement shows that Ricken is confident in the existing midfield lineup and tends to be internal solutions rather than bringing players.
In recent years, Dortmund has been lacking top players in midfield ball control. However, Ricken believes that with recent fiscal gains, the team does not need to further strengthen this position, and the midfielder Felix Enmecha, who joined in 2023, is the core of this belief.
Although Enmecha is not a traditional "six" player, his adaptability has convinced Ricken that he can protect the defense with veterans such as Gross. However, this view has not been unanimously agreed by all fans. Although Enmecha has outstanding technical skills, he rarely plays the role of a deeper organizer who can continuously control the pace of the game. The financial situation of Dortmund also supports this strategy. Gittens's transfer has brought the team 52 million pounds in revenue, with a potential total of 55 million pounds, which gives head coach Kovac more choices in signings. Ricken's trust in Enmecha and Gross fully reflects the team's overall development vision, which is to promote the team's progress through internal training, rather than completely reorganizing, and make the team progress through signings.
Dortmund's decision is of great significance. The midfielders of the Bundesliga giants often perform poorly when facing high-intensity pressing opponents and cannot control the rhythm of the game like the top European teams. The reason why Dortmund chose to trust Kovac for a long time shows that the Bundesliga giants do not think they can reach the level of European top teams controlling the midfield. Fans eager for fresh blood may laugh at the club's decision to give up on introducing new "No. 6" players. However, Ricken's firm belief in the team and the overall program remains the same, and the real test will come when the team is in poor shape in the future.