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#4 Paco Alcacer earns his timely reward
With six goals and an assist in five games for Borussia Dortmund to start the new campaign, Paco Alcacer is continuing to thrive away from home comforts in Spain's top-flight after an initial loan deal from Barcelona was made permanent this summer.
Netting 18 goals in 26 Bundesliga appearances last term, he's already on course to surpass that tally with more regular minutes under his belt. The key for him, both at club and international level, is to cement himself as the bonafide number nine in teams that will benefit largely from his presence leading their respective forward lines.
While he has Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho and Julian Brandt among the esteemed supporting cast at Dortmund, Spain's attacking conundrum is more complex given their playstyle and desire for creative-minded playmakers across midfield, with less reliance on width. The likes of Saul Niguez, Ceballos and Thiago (unused sub) fit the bill, though it doesn't always work in practice against teams like Romania that sit deep and soak up pressure.
On this occasion, Alcacer needed to be patient and wait for opportunities to arrive. Despite being wasteful in possession (63% success) and having limited touches (22 in 85 minutes), he quietly worked hard off-the-ball.
Although Tatarusanu made important saves to deny him a first-half hat-trick, his belief never wavered and instead persistently manoeuvred himself into dangerous positions. It was only a matter of time before earning his reward minutes after the restart, applying the finishing touch to a well-worked passing move.
It was far from a vintage display by the 26-year-old, who still continues to improve and is finally beginning to earn the respect his goalscoring exploits desire. With ten goals in 16 international caps for Spain's senior side, the onus will be on him to do what Álvaro Morata couldn't - cement a consistent centre-forward berth going forward, where he'll be tasked with proving he is more than just a goalscorer.
