Almost three years ago, Borussia Dortmund's currently injured captain Emre Can (torn cruciate ligament) was named "Germany player of the year 2023" by a huge margin. Nearly 50,000 people voted in the German national team's fan club poll, with Can taking 64.6 per cent of the vote.
The result made little sense. The centre-back had played only 412 of a possible 990 minutes for Germany and had not featured in five of their eleven matches in 2023. But two accounts with large followings on X had jokingly urged people to vote for Can, and people listened.
On Saturday, another Dortmund player won a poll with a similarly baffling result. Fans named Felix Nmecha player of the match in Dortmund's 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. The Germany international received 23 per cent of the votes cast through the official Bundesliga app between the 86th minute and the final whistle.
By then, Nmecha had been off the pitch for seven minutes, having made way for Jobe Bellingham in the 79th minute with the score at 0-0. One tick of the clock later, Bellingham set up Maximilian Beier's winning goal. Beier's spectacular finish made him the obvious choice for the fans' poll. Joey Veerman, who had organised Dortmund's play so well in a quarterback role, also had a claim.
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Felix Nmecha lacks last season's strong form at Borussia Dortmund
Nmecha, by contrast, underwhelmed and again looked well short of the strong form he carried from last season into the World Cup. There, Nmecha was on everyone's lips amid numerous transfer rumours suggesting English clubs were prepared to pay nine-figure sums for him.
Aside from an important brace off the bench against newly promoted Paderborn (3-0), which included an overhead-kick goal, Nmecha has made a mess of the start of the new season. He has no further goals or assists.
That does not mean the 26-year-old is completely off the pace. His figures across the key statistics are around a good average, but Dortmund need more from a player expected to make the difference. "Dortmund without Felix are a different team from Dortmund with him," coach Niko Kovac said last April, when Nmecha was out with a torn knee ligament and Dortmund did indeed miss him as a link between parts of the team.
Getty ImagesFelix Nmecha: Lost possession, low intensity, little rhythm
In build-up play, Nmecha now gives the ball away unnecessarily, often through carelessness. When Dortmund are out of possession, he is too lax in direct contests and not robust enough. His movement off the ball could improve, too. He currently lacks intensity in attack and defence and, despite regular playing time, looks short of rhythm.
The 14-cap Germany international puts in the effort. Nmecha takes responsibility on the pitch, runs and tries a lot, but too often his efforts come to nothing or he makes the wrong decisions. For a player who frequently occupies tight spaces, those mistakes can quickly create danger.
Six weeks ago, Kovac took the underperforming Nmecha off at half-time in Hoffenheim. "Felix certainly isn't where he can be yet," Kovac said. "He played at the World Cup. Pre-season perhaps wasn't what you're used to, but now he needs a bit of time. We have to build him up slowly. Physically, he's not yet at the level I'd like him to be, the level he can reach and has reached before. But that will come."
IMAGOA break would do the out-of-form Felix Nmecha good
Dortmund are still waiting. Nmecha has since played three full 90-minute matches and has improved compared with early September, but he has yet to produce a dominant performance. There is still considerable ground to make up.
After the three points against Eintracht Frankfurt, Nico Schlotterbeck discussed Dortmund's considerable travel demands in recent days with Sky. "Managing workload is always a funny term," he said. "I can always play," the captain added, though he suggested it might be easier for him as a defender: "up front, I think it's a bit different".
With the seventh-most minutes of any Dortmund player and his form faltering, Nmecha could do with a breather. Kovac hinted that it might come as soon as Tuesday's DFB Cup match against Bremen. He said Jobe Bellingham would "certainly be involved again in the cup" and would probably start. After Veerman's good performance, Kovac seems unlikely to put him on the bench.
A spell on the bench may be just what Nmecha needs. His play offers promising signs, but he lacks consistency. Kovac must find a way to help him regain his strength and produce more reliable performances. Dortmund need the dynamic difference-maker they had last season.
Felix Nmecha: His performance figures at Borussia Dortmund
Competitive appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards |
124 | 15 | 8 | 12 |