So Borussia Dortmund did something they are supposed to do, as the title suggests. That is, collect three points from an inferior team. It is not a foregone conclusion on a regular old Bundesliga Saturday that Borussia Dortmund will beat a team they are expected to beat. This Saturday, however, they did do that, and it felt quite nice.
BVB faced off against Frank Schmidt’s side, who are in their third top-flight season this year. Heidenheim have replaced one Bayern academy talent with another this season,
losing Paul Wanner but picking up Arijon Ibrahimovic. The question this season will be whether Ibrahimovic and Dortmund loanee Diant Ramaj will be enough to help them stave off relegation.
Their game against Dortmund was characterized less by the players on the field and more by the players who left it. Leart Paqarda regrettably had to leave the field after only seven minutes with a non-contact injury, which looked to me like an ACL. No one ever wants to see that happen, and Heidenheim seemed rightly flustered by his departure. To make matters worse, striker Budu Zivzivadze was sent down the tunnel for a studs-up challenge against Felix Nmecha in the 21st minute. At this point, Heidenheim had suffered two enormous blows and seemed to shift their focus away from scoring and toward getting Karim Adeyemi to pick up a set of yellow cards. But that plan failed too, and once Guirassy had netted to put BVB in front, it did not look like Heidenheim were ever coming back into the game.
Adeyemi Keeps his Head
I was pleased to see Karim Adeyemi stay on the field in this one. His yellow card was pretty soft, but he was certainly getting wound up and deserved to be cautioned. At that point, the Heidenheim defenders made a pretty direct effort to rile him up, but to Adeyemi’s credit, he kept his head and rode the pressure. He was ultimately rewarded with an assist after torching Benedikt Gimber to get the last laugh.
Adeyemi picked up a crisp NINE yellow cards in his first season for BVB, and followed it up with six in 23/24. Adeyemi is still a young player, but he is important to this BVB team now. His continued growth and maturity are important to this squad.
Boring Game
This was not the greatest watch. The football felt slow at times; Dortmund had 99.98% possession, or so it felt, and the Heidenheim goalkeeper Diant Ramaj put on a fabulous showing to keep the scoreline reasonable.
All of that is fine, great even.
BVB need to get back to winning games they are supposed to win. Niko Kovac arrived in January to get Dortmund back on track and was successful in the run-in to the end of the season. Before that, though, Dortmund had made a habit of upsetting the oddsmakers with dropped points and horrible away form. Whether BVB win pretty or ugly, exciting or boring, they need to get three points in every match in every stadium. These are good points for BVB this weekend.
Dortmund likes Guirassy
At times during this match, it felt like the entire game plan was to give Guirassy the ball by whatever means necessary. Can you blame Kovac and his side? Guirassy is in fantastic form and was a difference-maker again this weekend. The last time BVB were so reliant on their striker was likely the days of Erling Haaland. There is a mild fear of overreliance, as became the case with Erling Haaland, but this BVB attack feels more dynamic and willing to score, such that even without Guirassy, the goals could still come. Maxi Beier chipped in against Heidenheim, and both Adeyemi and Carney Chukwuemeka looked dangerous. Niko Kovac will just need to make sure his attack does not become too predictable as the season wears on.
Other Observations
- Bayern are good again, go figure. It will be another long season of chasing them down, as long as BVB don’t spend the season playing against themselves.
- Felix Nmecha needs to be in this midfield. Dortmund controlled possession and moved forward far more effectively in this match than in the prior two games. This should not be news to anyone, but it bears reminding.
- Julian Ryerson did a nice job at center-back. While he would likely struggle against bigger forwards or in games where the ball is frequently delivered aerially, his pace and strength helped support Anton in preventing breaks against the run of play, and he managed to chip in with an inch-perfect cross to Guirassy.
- Diant Ramaj had a great game against his parent side. His six saves kept the scoreline respectable for his side, and he made a great account of himself in front of the BVB fans.
What were your thoughts on the match? Let me know in the comments.
