Felix Nmecha fulfilling his potential as Borussia Dortmund find consistency
Borussia Dortmund are enjoying an impressive campaign under Niko Kovač, proving incredibly difficult to beat. Midfielder Felix Nmecha has been an integral part of his side’s fortunes this term – here is what he brings to the Black-Yellows’ engine room…
Dortmund’s 3-0 victory over Union Berlin on Matchday 19 reduced the gap to league leaders Bayern Munich to eight points following the Bavarians 2-1 loss to Augsburg - their first of the Bundesliga season. Such a deficit may lead many to think that BVB have underperformed this campaign, but it is rather Bayern’s record-breaking form than Dortmund’s deficiencies that have been the difference.
After all, Kovač’s men have lost only one game in the German top flight, and even that was a narrow 2-1 loss to Bayern in the first Klassiker of the season. They have only bettered their current tally of 42 points after 19 matches three times this century, with their 17 goals conceded their lowest at this point of a campaign since their last title-winning term of 2011/12.
Watch: Union Berlin 0-3 Borussia Dortmund - highlights
Germany international Nmecha has been close to an ever-present. He has played in each Bundesliga fixture so far, starting 16 of them, while only Waldemar Anton and Daniel Svensson have racked up more than his 1,422 minutes in the league for the club. It is worth noting that, of the three games Nmecha has not started, Dortmund have failed to win two of them.
The 25-year-old has not always been a go-to player for BVB since his arrival from Wolfsburg in 2023. A mixture of inconsistent displays and injuries saw him start just 29 times across his first two seasons, and it is only since Kovač arrived halfway through 2024/25 that Nmecha has been on the first names on the team sheet.
Primarily, Nmecha is a ball-playing midfielder with strong technique – for example, only Anton (90.7) has completed a higher percentage of his passes for Dortmund in the Bundesliga than Nmecha (87.2) this term.
Having previously struggled to make a tangible impact in the final third, he has two goals and three assists, already matching his goal contribution tally from last season.
However, at 6’3”, Nmecha is also a physical specimen who has been putting his frame to good use. He has recorded a career-high speed of 35.4 km/h earlier this campaign, while Svensson and Anton are the only two players to cover more than Nmecha’s 181.3 km for Dortmund in the Bundesliga in 2025/26.
There is still room for improvement – Nmecha’s duel win rate percentage of 51% is down on last season’s 58%, while he has only prevailed in 45% of his defensive duels in contrast to 58% of his offensive ones – but it is now becoming clear why Dortmund were so eager to take him to Signal Iduna Park from the Volkswagen Arena.
It was under Kovač that Nmecha first attracted BVB’s attention at Wolfsburg, and the Croatian is clearly delighted to be working with the former Manchester City youngster once more. "He's a very attentive player who tries to implement everything immediately. A meticulous worker, a total professional, and a great person. He will certainly improve even further,” he said back in October.
Nmecha has also received praise from outside Dortmund, with Germany legend Lothar Matthäus even suggesting he could be the successor to Jude Bellingham that the Ruhr-based outfit have been looking for.
All of this has earned him international recognition, too, as Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann played him in both of the last two FIFA World Cup qualification matches.
If Dortmund are to truly challenge Bayern for the Meisterschale, they cannot afford any slip-ups. With Nmecha in this kind of form, they are far less likely to do so. But even if the Bundesliga title is beyond them, there is still plenty to play for both in the league and the UEFA Champions League.
BVB’s number eight has arguably produced some of his best displays in European competition this term, scoring three goals in seven appearances. As we approach the business end of the campaign, Nmecha is set to play a pivotal role. And should he maintain his current level, he may well be on the plane to the World Cup in North America this summer.
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