If the late collapse earlier in the week against Juventus was the worst of Borussia Dortmund on full display, Sunday’s 1-0 win against Wolfsburg is proof of how far this side has come under Niko Kovač and what is possible if he can continue to build on his early success as BVB manager.
Karim Adeyemi scored the only goal of the game, rocketing home a volley from distance twenty minutes into the game. Wolfsburg came very close to equalizing on the hour when Konstantinos Koulierakis almost bundled a set-piece
in off the bar, but BVB were saved by goal-line technology. In real-time, it looked like it crossed the line, but the final millimeters of the ball did not make the journey into the Dortmund goalmouth. Otherwise, it was a pretty uneventful match. Dortmund didn’t really dominate, but aside from Koulierakis’ effort, they also never really looked in any danger. A tight but relatively comfortable 1-0 win against a tough Wolfsburg side off the back of a physically draining midweek Champions League fixture is pretty good going.
The win keeps Dortmund in second place, two points behind Bayern Munich, and leaves BVB and Bayern as the last remaining unbeaten teams in the Bundesliga. Here are our ratings from Sunday evening’s 1-0 win against Wolfsburg:
Starting XI
Gregor Kobel
Paul: 6
Sean: 6
Didn’t officially register any saves, so there’s not much to go on.
Patrick: 6
Sure, there was a clean sheet, but Kobel did not have to earn it in this one with zero saves and very little time on the ball. That being said, he did not put a foot wrong, and his distribution was decent.
Ramy Bensebaini
Paul: 7
Sean: 7
Had a very solid bounce-back performance after a disaster-class against Juventus.
Patrick: 8
Wolfsburg’s Andreas Skov Olsen was pulled out at halftime, and his replacement on the right wing, Adam Daghim, was also poor in this match. Some praise should go to Bensebaini because the left center-back played consistently throughout the game, and most of Wolfsburg’s chances were from the left side.
Waldemar Anton
Paul: 7
Much improved on his woeful performance earlier in the week. Anton looked like a safe pair of hands all night long.
Sean: 7
Anton looked much more comfortable with Schlotterbeck back at his side.
Patrick: 7
In previous matches, it seemed that Anton was trying to do too much and ended up doing very little right. Today, he took on the sidekick role to Schlotterbeck and seemed at home. Hopefully, the two continue to play together.
Nico Schlotterbeck
Paul: 8
You would barely know that Schlotterbeck was returning from injury.
Sean: 8
He had a few of those characteristic Schlotterbeck moments where he bombs forward, perhaps a bit overoptimistically, but it was still a great return.
Patrick: 8
Julian Ryerson
Paul: 6
Sean: 4
Was officially credited with an assist, but had a metric ton of missed crosses. Just generally very inefficient in the attacking third.
Patrick: 6
I’m not sure that I would go as far as Sean and declare Ryerson inefficient in this match. I actually thought he was very involved and led the team in chance creation in the final third. That being said, Sean is right about one thing – his crossing was woeful.
Daniel Svensson
Paul: 5
Sean: 4
Was equally inefficient as Ryerson. He did not register a successful cross on eight attempts.
Patrick: 4
Felix Nmecha
Paul: 7
Sean: 7
Continues to look really impressive.
Patrick: 7
There is one big (6’3”) reason that Jobe has played so few minutes this season – Felix Nmecha. Nmecha wasn’t at his best in this one but he also did very little wrong. The midfielder can still be a bit more incisive with his passing but his ability to shuttle the ball up and down the pitch is very commendable.
Marcel Sabitzer
Paul: 6
Sean: 7
I thought Sabitzer had a decent performance with good pressure and an impressive nine progressive passes.
Patrick: 6
There is not much to discuss from the Austrian’s performance in this game. His passing was good and he did well to distribute the ball while Dortmund were in possesion. The only issue is that he looks fairly placid in the final third.
Karim Adeyemi
Paul: 8
Adeyemi has become a more consistent threat under Kovač, and he proved that once again tonight with a brilliant strike in the first half that proved to be the match winner.
Sean: 8
Patrick: 9
Another absurdly good game from Adeyemi. He obviously notched a great goal and looked dangerous throughout the match. Wolfsburg really struggled to handle Karim and the stats show – a game-leading four fouls against Adeyemi, and the forward won a game-leading 8 duels. I do wish his cut-backs and passing around the box were better.
Maximilian Beier
Paul: 6
Could have done better with a couple chances, but did well to get into dangerous positions in the first half.
Sean: 5
Patrick: 6
Serhou Guirassy
Paul: 5
Guirassy lacked service, and as a result, it was a quiet night for the in-form striker. He was solid enough in the buildup, but otherwise, his name didn’t get mentioned often.
Sean: 5
Patrick: 5
Ryerson and Svensson’s crossing is partially responsible for Guirassy’s middling rating but the forward could have done more to create his own chances.
Substitutes
Carney Chukwuemeka
Paul: 6
I thought Chukwuemeka looked lively coming off the bench. The game was pretty dead by that point, however, so it was difficult to make an impact.
Sean: 6
Patrick: 6
Chukwuemeka entered the game at a point where it seemed most players wanted to go home. I’m hoping we can see him start soon because he adds a completely different look to Adeyemi or Beier.
Jobe Bellingham
N/A
Julian Brandt
N/A
Salih Özcan
N/A
Overall
Paul: 7
It wasn’t a dominant performance, but BVB took their chances and looked comfortable defending a one-goal lead against a solid Wolfsburg side that came into Sunday’s game unbeaten. I would have liked to see Dortmund create a little more offensive threat, but I do appreciate the fact Kovač‘s team are capable of defending a slim lead when things aren’t firing at the other end.
This was a much-needed win after Tuesday’s collapse. The Juventus game served as a reminder of how frustrating Dortmund can be. This 1-0 win against Wolfsburg showed that there has been meaningful progress under Niko Kovač and fans need to trust the process.
Sean: 6
Games like these are tough to judge. BVB scored early and pretty much just snuffed the game out, with very little happening on either side of the ball. I think I’d be more concerned about the lack of output if Dortmund hadn’t just put four goals past Juventus on Tuesday. Overall, it was three points and a clean sheet, so I have little to complain about.
Patrick: 6
Borussia Dortmund did something they rarely do; put up a very professional performance. The team seemed set to drop points after a high-octane away game on Tuesday but ultimately looked very composed. The addition of Nico Schlotterbeck should have every fan excited and is exactly what this team needed after conceding seven goals in five matches. The attack looked limp but ultimately found the goal they needed, and the team ultimately exited the weekend with three points.
Your Thoughts?
What did you make of BVB’s performance on Sunday evening? Did it give you confidence after the 4-4 chaos earlier in the week? Let us know in the comments.
