With Dortmund crashing out of the DFB Pokal earlier this week and dropping a couple of draws the last couple of games, I think many fans had question marks over how Niko Kovac’s team would fare against
a high flying visitor in TSG Hoffenheim. Christian Ilzer’s side came into the match with 10 points from their last four games, and it was already clear after a few minutes of play that this would be no easy task. Hoffenheim played relatively well. They managed to retain the ball in longer sequences, and the possession ping ponged a big back and forth with neither team looking totally convincing in the 1st half. It was Julian Brandt who finally broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute after he tapped in a lovely cross from Yan Couto after a nice switch of play. In the 2nd half, the teams were again quite even, but Hoffenheim seemed to lose their breath a little after Nico Schlotterbeck made it 2-0 after a nice finish after a failed corner clearance from TSG. This was by no means the most spectacular match—I actually found it a bit boring, but the result in isolation is extremely good and will probably help a lot on top of the Pokal defeat.
Here are my MOTM candidates from Sunday’s 2-0 win against TSG Hoffenheim
Nico Schlotterbeck
The most obvious candidate to start. Captain Schlotterbeck had an almost flawless defensive game and managed to top it off with a very well taken goal in the end. The 26-year old defender battled with both Lemperle and Touré for the entire game, and he came out on top almost every time. As you might have read, there has been a lot of rumors surrounding the German international lately, with basically every top European club being reported interested. After the performance tonight, you once again understand why he’s so highly sought after.
Yan Couto
The Brazilian full-back has been a bit in and out of the team this season, but tonight Kovac favored him in the starting XI, and Couto rewarded him with a very strong performance. He was directly involved in the 1-0 goal with a lovely low cross inside the box, and he almost had an assist of the season contender, had Guirassy not hit the bar after towards the end of the game. I personally think Couto can be a bit frustrating to watch, and he’s not always fully effective going forward, but tonight he had the better of his direct opponent in Bernardo. Had Guirassy not wasted that huge chance, Couto would probably have had this MOTM (not a) poll in the bag.
Julian Brandt
Brandt had a bit of mixed game today, and his performances as a whole this season have been a bit up and down. Tonight was one of the typical Brandt moments where he first drifts a bit out of the game and then proceeds to pop up in the box and score a goal. I don’t think Brandt was the best player on the pitch today by any means, but without his goal, I believe this game could’ve looked very different.
Felix Nmecha
I think Kobel and Nmecha battle for the last spot here, but I ultimately choose Nmecha, simply because of his extreme consistency. Tonight, he managed a soft assist for Schlotterbeck’s goal. He also managed two key passes and was Dortmund’s main receiver in the middle. He also made some impressive backtracks to help out in defense. I think the talk about his price tag has quieted down a lot over the last two seasons, and with good reason. Nmecha is simply one of Dortmund’s best players—there can be absolutely no question about it.
Your Thoughts?
What were your thoughts on the game? And what do you think this result can mean for the games going forward? Let me know in the comments below!
