Borussia Dortmund missed out on automatic qualification for the Champions League knockout stages tonight, having lost 2-0 to Inter Milan. But I’m not sure you could convince me they were really trying
to win. I watched too many players refusing to push up the field on breaks to believe this was their best efforts. I think BVB went in to tonight’s game aware that the probability of finishing in the top eight was so slim, and required so much to go in their favor, and concluded it was not a sensible use of their limited squad depth and energy to try and beat Inter.
If the game had fallen in their lap, they would have taken it, but otherwise it really looked like BVB just wanting to come away from tonight’s game unscathed. They managed that, though they did lose a game that neither side particularly deserved to win. If it was a conscious decision not to expend too much energy on this game, I’m fine with it (though if this was them trying to win… yikes). The fact BVB may have chosen to pick their battles tonight should send a message to the club’s management, though. Niko Kovač needs live bodies.
BVB will now face either Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen in the playoffs, and if they survive that test they will be up against either Bayern Munich or Arsenal. Not ideal. But at least they’re still alive in the Champions League. Here are some nominations I scraped from the bottom of the barrel for tonight’s Man of the Match in BVB’s 2-0 loss to Inter Milan.
Ramy Bensebaini
In a game severely lacking in quality, Ramy Bensebaini made several really good tackles, including a spectacular last minute intervention to keep things level in the second half. He showed more than the vast majority of players on the pitch on either side.
Jobe Bellingham
We have already reached the “I’m just trying to remember guys who did some stuff” section of the nominations. It’s not that I think many players had a bad game. It’s just that the energy levels were so low (from both teams) it was hard to actually pass much judgement.
Anyway, both of Dortmund’s midfielders were in the running for a nomination. They were pretty tidy throughout, but Felix Nmecha gave away the foul that led to Inter’s first goal, so here we are. Bellingham gets the nod because he did a lot more than most did tonight.
Serhou Guirassy
Alright, hear me out. I know the miss was really bad. But I lost count of the number of times Guirassy was the only runner or the only option trying to find space when BVB were in Inter Milan’s half. I thought he was making some good runs and he looked much more lively than he has done in the last couple months. The miss was a slow-motion nightmare, but at least he looked like he wanted to win this game.
Filippo Mane
Mane was a last minute addition to the starting lineup due to Waldemar Anton’s illness, and I thought he coped okay. He didn’t do a great deal wrong, at least. Maybe this will give him the boost he needs to play his way into more minutes in the second half of the season.
Your Thoughts?
Do you think BVB tried to win tonight? And if so, who made the most effort to make it happen? Let us know in the comments.
