"Erling Haaland works really hard defensively" - Borussia Dortmund's Axel Witsel
Erling Haaland has been contributing more than just goals since joining Borussia Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg, according to teammate Axel Witsel.
The 19-year-old has scored a record nine times in six matches spanning just 395 minutes of Bundesliga football in his short time at the club, but what those eye-popping figures don't reveal is the effort he puts in off the ball.
"Erling's working really hard defensively," Witsel told Patrick Owomoyela on BVB tv. "Against Bremen, he was dropping back and winning the ball in midfield. It’s [illustrative of] a fighting spirit we perhaps didn’t have so much in the first half of the season."
Watch: Erling Haaland struck again in Dortmund's 2-0 win at Werder Bremen
Dortmund ended 2019 some seven points adrift of then leaders RB Leipzig after dropping points in nine of their 17 league assignments. Since the turn of the year - and the arrival of Haaland - BVB have taken 15 points from a possible 18 to climb to third, and within four points of the summit. Only defending champions Bayern Munich - back on pole after their own resurgent run of form - have claimed more. The Black-Yellows have also scored a league-leading 24 Rückrunde goals, whilst conceding just eight.
"We had our ups and downs during the first half [of the season]," Witsel explained. "We could have done so much better because we dropped so many points. We could be in a better position. In 2020, we’ve been playing well in defence and attack. Everyone’s doing their job"
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Witsel's contribution in his 19 Bundesliga appearances so far this season - his second in a Dortmund shirt - is a team-high passing accuracy of 90 per cent and 80 per cent for aerial challenges won. The 31-year-old has also had a direct hand in eight goals (four goals and as many assists); another four would take him into career-best territory. For Dortmund teammate Raphael Guerreiro, nobody does it better.
"Axel is very important," Guerreiro told BVB tv. "It’s very difficult when he’s not here. We really miss him when he’s not playing. He’s pivotal for the team and we need him in every match, but he's important off it, too. He’s a bit like a fatherly friend to us all as he’s slightly older than us. He’s played for several clubs, has a lot of experience. So we learn from him. We’re happy he’s with us."
Dortmund host Freiburg on Saturday, ahead of a key run of fixtures. Witsel and Co. face fourth-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach next week, before taking a priceless 2-1 lead to France for the second leg of their UEFA Champions last-16 second leg with Paris Saint-Germain. League games against Revierderby rivals Schalke, Wolfsburg and Bayern follow.
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