Carney Chukwuemeka makes his case for more playing time

For Carney Chukwuemeka, the Champions League is turning out to be the stage where he can truly showcase his abilities.

The attacking midfielder for Borussia Dortmund used his recent appearance in Europe’s top competition to boost his self-confidence and stake his claim for more playing time. Coach Niko Kovac took notice of his performance with enthusiasm.

Chukwuemeka, originally loaned from Chelsea in February and later signed by Dortmund, has only started once this season. That start came in the second Champions League matchday, where he scored during a convincing 4-1 win over Athletic Club Bilbao.

Yet, after that, his minutes dwindled. In Bundesliga action, other attacking options were chosen ahead of him while he watched from the sidelines. Coach Kovac stated, “Those who played there did really well,” explaining the limited opportunities for Chukwuemeka, who is considered part of Dortmund’s striker group.

On Tuesday, in Dortmund’s 4-2 victory over FC Copenhagen, Chukwuemeka came off the bench for the final half hour and made a strong impression. Kovac praised him saying, “This has shown us again how good and important he is.”

Fitness has been a recurring topic throughout Chukwuemeka’s time at Dortmund, but he’s made significant progress physically. The coach openly admitted that Chukwuemeka needed to work on his defensive skills: “We must say quite clearly that he needed to improve.” However, the 22-year-old continues to improve and could earn another start before the international break in November if this trend continues.

Chukwuemeka seems to be getting closer to regular starts, and as Dortmund is enjoying great success, rotations in the squad may come more from managing player workload than tactical necessity.