{"id":539948,"date":"2020-01-09T15:53:18","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T20:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=539948"},"modified":"2020-01-09T15:53:18","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T20:53:18","slug":"julian-weigls-move-to-benfica-is-disappointing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/01\/09\/julian-weigls-move-to-benfica-is-disappointing\/","title":{"rendered":"Julian Weigl\u2019s Move to Benfica is Disappointing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, <\/span>Julian Weigl<\/a>\u2019s move to Benfica was <\/span>confirmed<\/span><\/a> by Dortmund. At just 20 years of age, he broke into Thomas Tuchel\u2019s squad, making 51 appearances in the 2015-16 season. In that campaign\u2019s final matchday, Weigl touched the ball a record-breaking <\/span>214 times<\/span><\/a> against 1. FC K\u00f6ln, making 209 passes with an accuracy of 95%. The German media had officially crowned the young man from Bavaria as the country\u2019s next midfield superstar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No One Would Have Expected Weigl’s Move to Benfica Two Years Ago<\/h3>\n

Weigl\u2019s move to Benfica is no surprise to many, but it shows how quickly burgeoning careers can be derailed. The 2016-17 season proceeded for the then 21-year-old how many expected it would. He made 43 appearances, 30 of those in the Bundesliga. Although Tuchel left at the end of the season, Weigl made 34 appearances in the 2017-18 season under managers Peter Bosz and Peter St\u00f6ger. The performances were so good that he was on the top of Pep Guardiola<\/a>\u2019s summer signings wish list in 2018.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As fans of football understand, however, the sport is an emotional roller coaster. The lowest of lows can sometimes follow the highest of highs. After three stellar campaigns and vocal interest from arguably the best manager of this generation, Weigl\u2019s career began to falter. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 2018, Weigl Faced Adversity for the First Time<\/h3>\n

A thigh problem in the summer meant that he missed out on Joachim L\u00f6w\u2019s 2018 World Cup squad and Dortmund\u2019s preseason. The club’s new manager, Lucien Favre, signed <\/span>Axel Witsel<\/a> and the Belgian quickly took the injured Weigl\u2019s spot. Guardiola\u2019s most sought after player played the full 90 minutes just three times in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

Favre began playing Weigl in the second half of the season, but at central defence, far removed from his preferred position at defensive midfield. Witsel and <\/span>Thomas Delaney<\/a> made for a great partnership in the middle of the park, and Dortmund were in great form as they challenged for the <\/span>Meisterschalle <\/span><\/i>until the final matchday.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the current campaign, Favre<\/a> has been rotating Weigl from centre back to defensive midfield, but the young man was clearly not happy with the situation. Weigl even admitted that he had considered leaving Dortmund after the summer arrivals of midfielders Witsel and Delaney. Joining Paris Saint-Germain was tempting, especially seeing that his former manager Thomas Tuchel was in charge. The move, however, never materialized.<\/span><\/p>\n

The German Is Not a Central Defender<\/h3>\n

A three-three draw with SC Paderborn this past November exposed the German’s weaknesses in central defence. What ultimately influenced Weigl\u2019s move to Benfica was the constant switching from defensive midfield to centre back. The former 1860 Munich player has now decided to leave Dortmund in an attempt to revitalize his career. A career that he believes should be in the middle of the park.<\/span><\/p>\n

Weigl\u2019s move to Benfica will see the German playing regularly again in central midfield. There are no guarantees in football. It would have been easy to believe that the holding midfielder’s spot was written in stone after his first three seasons. The lingering question is whether Weigl peaked in 2018, or whether an untimely thigh injury and the arrival of the more experienced Witsel simply delayed his path to stardom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n