How will Borussia Dortmund line up next season? A look at what Lucien Favre may try in 2020-2021

Even though he's only been here for two seasons, it can be easy for Borussia Dortmund fans to forget just how impressive Lucien Favre's tenure started.

Under the guidance of the Swiss tactician, the Black and Yellows earned 42 of a possible 51 points during the Hinrunde of the 2018-2019 season, holding a six-point lead over rival Bayern Munich with half the season to play.

Unfortunately, fans are more likely to remember what happened during the Rückrunde that year: an epic collapse that saw Dortmund drop 17 points in the final 17 games, allowing Bayern to come back and steal the title.

Considering the utterly horrible 2017-2018 campaign, Favre's first season has to be labelled a success: 76 points in 34 matches, a win at home against Bayern and a runner-up finish. But it's the missed opportunity to get wins in big matches -- an issue that continued into the 2019-2020 season -- that has frustrated fans and even had Favre on the hot seat towards the end of 2019.

It's understandable for fans to be frustrated; Bayern has won eight straight Bundesliga championships, and the last time Dortmund won it, Jürgen Klopp was still manager and Polish striker *redacted* was leading the line. But Favre was able to save his job by changing the tactics that had his team lighting the Bundesliga on fire the previous season, going from a fluid 4-2-3-1 to a more stable 3-4-3/3-5-2 (depending on your interpretation).

The switch made Dortmund much stronger at the back, though they still looked shaky at times, like in the 4-2 loss to Bayer Leverkusen and the 3-3 draw with RB Leipzig. Perhaps there are more tactical changes to me made. The team is already guaranteed to have a different look next season with the departure of Achraf Hakimi and new arrivals of Thomas Meunier and Jude Bellingham.

There's a lot for Favre to consider when putting together his lineups for next season. Here's a look at three different tactics we might see him try.

Personally, this is my favorite option. Let's start with that right flank: this formation gives Sancho the flexibility to either hug the touch line or cut inside and allows Marco Reus to complement him. Meunier can also provide a decent supporting option while playing more conservatively to stop counter attacks. And on the left side, you've got arguably the team's four best players at retaining possession in Julian Brandt, Raphael Guerreiro, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Axel Witsel.

I think this lineup is a good balance of getting the team's best players on the field while maintaining a solid formation. As far as players you could swap in and out of the lineup, Łukasz Piszczek could comfortably swap in for Akanji to give the back line more experience. Emre Can could also slot into a number of roles in this lineup: he could replace Witsel at defensive mid, Akanji (or anyone else) at center back, or even Reus or Brandt at attacking mid. And don't be surprised if Favre tries to swap in Thorgan Hazard for Meunier. It's definitely an attack-minded move, but Hazard is a more competent defender than he gets credit. He *probably* wouldn't be any worse than Hakimi, who often struggled to track back and left the back line exposed.

Another option Favre will likely weigh is going back to the 4-2-3-1 that was so successful in his first season. That allows him to play a double pivot of Witsel and Can, which could help them retain possession better while also giving cover to prevent counter attacks. It also allows them to play with a fluid front four, with multiple players able to switch into different roles to confuse the opposing defense.

This formation could potentially provide Bellingham with more of an opportunity to play in central midfield coming off the bench, and gives you solid substitute options in attack (Reus, Reyna, Youssoufa Moukoko) and defense (Piszczek, Akanji). The problem is it pits Brandt and Reus, two of the team's best players, in a competition for the CAM role. Reus has been the face of the franchise for years, so it'd be hard to see him sitting on the bench. But he still hasn't fully recovered from an adductor muscle injury suffered back in February, and at 31 years old, his time might be up sooner than later.

This formation "fixes" the issue of getting Brandt and Reus together on the field and makes the team even more dynamic going forward, with all four attacking midfielders able to swap positions interchangeably. The glaring issue, of course, is the lack of cover against the counter. Swapping Meunier for Hakimi might be enough to solidify the back line, but would Witsel (or Can) be enough to single-handedly anchor the defensive midfield? It's hard to say. Defensive concerns aside, the thought of the gorgeous attacking play that would come from this lineup has me watering at the mouth.

If Favre goes with this lineup, the goal is obviously going to be score early (and often), and then bring in defensive reinforcements late. That makes Can a supremely important super sub, likely coming in for one of the attacking midfielders so they can go back to the double pivot.