BERLIN: Asked to sum up yet another star turn from winger Jamie Gittens on Saturday, Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin said simply “he has arrived.”
Still just 20, Gittens’ recent performances have established the Englishman as Dortmund’s most important attacking outlet.
With his trademark dance in from the left flank, dribbling past defenders, Gittens unleashed a rocket which bounced in off the crossbar to score for the fourth straight game.
In Wednesday’s home clash against a free-scoring Barcelona side who are top of the La Liga table, Gittens will be crucial as Dortmund hope to take a step closer to locking up a top-eight spot.
Gittens walked the same path as former Borussia teammate Jadon Sancho when he moved from the Manchester City academy to Dortmund.
Just four years younger than Sancho, who is now at Chelsea having returned to Dortmund for a six-month loan last season, Gittens’ progress was disrupted by a series of shoulder injuries.
This season, Gittens has played in all Dortmund’s 20 games in all competitions. He has nine goals — including four in the Champions League — and four assists.
Gittens has developed a habit of scoring incredible goals at crucial moments in what has been a challenging season for last year’s Champions League finalists.
German tabloid Bild on Sunday called him a “giant” and said “Dortmund finally have a star face again.”
According to Bild’s analysis, sixth-placed Dortmund would be in the bottom half of the table without Gittens’ contributions.
Germany’s Sport1 network on Monday had a discussion asking if “Dortmund are too dependent?” on the starlet this season.
On Saturday, Gittens was quick to deflect praise of his red-hot form.
“My teammates are always making me go harder in training,” Gittens told the Bundesliga website, adding his improvement was due to “being more confident on the pitch.”
Several current superstars, including Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, Ousmane Dembele and Sancho, have emerged from the Dortmund finishing school in recent years.
Plenty are tempted to ask if Gittens is on the same path — and whether a move away is inevitable.
German media speculated on Sunday Gittens will be Dortmund’s next big-money sale.
But while Haaland, Bellingham, Dembele and Sancho always had their eyes set on a short stay, Gittens — who gives interviews in German — has repeatedly said he is comfortable in Dortmund.
After a spectacular solo goal in a 1-1 draw with rivals Bayern Munich in November, Sancho texted Gittens.
“He wrote to me. He said ‘keep it up — it’s your time to show everyone what you can do’,” Gittens said of Sancho, calling the Chelsea winger “a top player and a top friend.”
Dortmund coach Sahin, under pressure after a patchy start to the season, refused to take credit for Gittens’ development.
“The credit doesn’t belong to me, but to Jamie and (former Dortmund assistant coach) Sven Bender.”
“He’s made a huge step. His heart is in the right place and I wish him only the best.”
Like last season, when they finished fifth in the Bundesliga but reached the Champions League final, Dortmund have struggled in Germany but impressed in Europe this year.
Dortmund are fourth on the Champions League table, level on points with third-placed Barcelona.
Despite flying high in the new format, either side could fall outside the top eight with a loss, such is the traffic jam of teams below them.
Barcelona are atop the Liga table in Hansi Flick’s first season. They have, however, begun to show defensive vulnerabilities similar to those which brought Flick’s time at Bayern to an end.
If Dortmund are to challenge the five-time Champions League winners, the lightning-quick Gittens will need to play a leading role.
Dortmund celebrate red-hot Gittens’ ‘arrival’ as Barca loom
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Dortmund celebrate red-hot Gittens’ ‘arrival’ as Barca loom
- Still just 20, Gittens’ recent performances have established the Englishman as Dortmund’s most important attacking outlet
- With his trademark dance in from the left flank, dribbling past defenders, Gittens unleashed a rocket which bounced in off the crossbar to score for the fourth straight game
Shakib Al-Hasan shines as MI Emirates down table-toppers Desert Vipers by 4 wickets
- All-round performance helped move the team back to second in the points table
DUBAI: MI Emirates registered a composed four-wicket victory over the table toppers Desert Vipers to seal their third straight win in the DP World ILT20 Season 4 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. After a disciplined bowling performance in the first innings, MI Emirates overcame early pressure before Kieron Pollard and Shakib Al-Hasan guided the team to victory.
The Desert Vipers managed to score 124 courtesy of Dan Lawrence’s gritty 35 off 34 balls, but MI Emirates navigated a tricky chase with relative ease. With the ball, spinner Al-Hasan’s two wickets for 14 runs led the charge and kept the Vipers in check, before Zahoor Khan’s death bowling ensured the total remained below par.
In reply, MI Emirates stumbled in the powerplay and lost momentum in the middle overs, but Pollard’s 26 off 15 balls flipped the contest decisively. Even after his dismissal, Al-Hasan held firm to see the chase through, striking the winning boundary to complete a controlled four-wicket win with 15 balls to spare.
MI Emirates endured a slow powerplay as the Vipers applied sustained pressure. David Payne set the tone early, removing Jonny Bairstow (5 off 5), while Lockie Ferguson struck to dismiss Muhammad Waseem (18 off 13). They finished the powerplay with 35/2 on the board.
The batting side lost momentum through the middle overs as the Vipers bowlers tightened the screws. Nicholas Pooran (17 off 17) mounted a brief counterattack with two sixes but was trapped LBW by Lawrence. Wickets fell at regular intervals, including Tom Banton (10 off 10) being bowled by a sharp Qais Ahmad delivery.
Then, skipper Pollard swung the momentum decisively, taking Ahmad apart with a pair of sixes in the 15th over that turned the chase in MI Emirates’ favor. He was eventually dismissed by Matiullah Khan, but Al-Hasan (17* off 25) held his nerve, anchoring the finish before striking the winning boundary off Matiullah to close the chase at 124/6 in 17.3 overs.
In the first innings, the Vipers made a subdued start in the powerplay, as Chris Woakes was excellent up front, conceding just 15 runs from his three overs. Allah Ghazanfar struck the key blow by removing Max Holden (20 off 18). Fakhar Zaman (13 off 13) tried to build momentum, but the lack of boundaries and regular dots ensured the Vipers were restricted to 35/1 after six overs.
MI Emirates tightened their grip through the middle overs as Al-Hasan struck twice in a miserly spell to remove Zaman and Sam Curran (4 off 4), conceding just eight runs in two overs. Arab Gul added to the pressure by dismissing Hasan Nawaz (13 off 19), leaving the Vipers reeling after losing three wickets in as many overs and the score at 54/4 at the halfway mark of their innings.
Lawrence and Jason Roy (14 off 18) showed intent in patches, adding a cautious stand of 42 runs in 40 balls, but boundaries were scarce. Al-Hasan capped an outstanding spell, leaving the Vipers with little impetus. Khan delivered a decisive final over, finishing with two for 17, as regular wickets in the death overs ensured the Vipers were kept in check, leaving MI Emirates a manageable target of 125 to seal the chase.
Al-Hasan said: “It was a surface that suited the spinners, and the focus was on hitting the right areas consistently. I was able to do that today, which was pleasing. I’m glad it helped the team. Batting wasn’t easy on this pitch either. With so many powerful hitters in our lineup, someone needed to play the anchoring role, and I was happy to take on that responsibility to make sure we finished the chase.”
Desert Vipers stand-in skipper Curran commented: “It was another low-scoring game on a tricky surface. The pitch was slow, and facing a side like MI Emirates, who have high-quality spinners with a lot of variation, made it even tougher. Despite that, I thought our bowlers put in a strong effort. With qualification already secured, we chose to rotate the squad, and what happened to Lockie reinforces the importance of managing workloads.”
