It was as if he had never been
away. A raking pass down the flank
paved the way for Kevin Großkreutz
to tee up Adrian Ramos for the
opening goal and a few minutes
before halftime, Shinji Kagawa slammed the ball into
the net himself to re-announce his presence on the
Bundesliga stage in high style. For the massed
ranks of the home support inside the Signal Iduna
Park, a good football day had just got a lot better –
courtesy of their once-and-future midfield star.
In the wake of Borussia Dortmund's eventual 3-1
victory over SC Freiburg on Matchday 3, the 25-
year-old Japan international admitted it was
“difficult to describe how I feel right now... I had
goosebumps all the way through.” Dortmund coach
Jürgen Klopp experienced something similar
himself before the game had even started, noting
that, “The best moment of all was the 'Kagawa-
Shinji' chorus when the team ran out onto the pitch.
It's not been so loud here for a long time – enough
to made your hair stand on end.”
In at the deep end
Kagawa paid back the fans in kind, post-haste, and
even the cramp attack that prematurely ended his
day's work just over an hour into the contest was
“a good sign,” according to Klopp, who
acknowledged the whole team had to “work really
intensively for the points” against a “very passive”
Freiburg side. The new number 7, back from a two-
year stint with Manchester United in the English
Premier League, acknowledged himself that he was
not yet 100 percent match-fit but, that
notwithstanding, it was “refreshing to be playing this
kind of fast-paced, counter-pressing football again.”
Klopp had made clear in advance that Kagawa
would be deployed one way or the other against the
visitors from the South West – no great surprise
given Dortmund's current personnel woes. A fresh
injury to Jakub Blaszczykowski on the point of the
Poland skipper's earmarked return from a cruciate
ligament rupture has further limited the team's
options in the attacking midfield department, with
Marco Reus already ruled out of action for the
coming weeks. Fortunately, as the coach was swift
to ascertain in training, Kagawa “still has a lot of
stuff stored on his hard drive” as far as the BVB
playing system goes.
Plenty to smile about
Klopp also helped ease his once-and-future star
into his 'second debut' by opting for the 4-2-3-1
formation that reaped Dortmund such rich dividends
in Kagawa's first spell at the club, between 2010
and 2012. Operating alongside one new colleague in
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and a familiar one in his good
mate Kevin Großkreutz, the Kobe native instantly
got down to what he does best, flitting across the
frontline with his accustomed verve and creativity.
“Shinji had a smile on his face all the time – at least
until he got the cramp,” veteran BVB midfielder
Sebastian Kehl remarked afterwards, succinctly
nailing Kagawa's evident joy at being back at the
heart of the action, with the club where he soared to
prominence. The transition to the Premier League
had undoubtedly proved a frustrating one at times
although he has been at pains to point out that, “It's
not like the two years at Manchester United were in
vain, I think I learned a few things there as well.
Maybe Dortmund fans will see a new Kagawa.” On
his comeback, they saw many a welcome flash of
the old Kagawa – and that will likely do them just
fine.
It was as if he had never been away. A raking pass
down the flank paved the way for Kevin Großkreutz
to tee up Adrian Ramos for the opening goal and a
few minutes before halftime, Shinji Kagawa
slammed the ball into the net himself to re-
announce his presence on the Bundesliga stage in
high style. For the massed ranks of the home
support inside the Signal Iduna Park, a good football
day had just got a lot better – courtesy of their
once-and-future midfield star.
In the wake of Borussia Dortmund's eventual 3-1
victory over SC Freiburg on Matchday 3, the 25-
year-old Japan international admitted it was
“difficult to describe how I feel right now... I had
goosebumps all the way through.” Dortmund coach
Jürgen Klopp experienced something similar
himself before the game had even started, noting
that, “The best moment of all was the 'Kagawa-
Shinji' chorus when the team ran out onto the pitch.
It's not been so loud here for a long time – enough
to made your hair stand on end.”
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