Starting XI
Gregor Kobel
Patrick: 6
There was very little Kobel could have done for either goal. Kane’s opener was from three yards out while Olise’s goal was from even closer after Kobel was drawn to the near post. He was let down by his defense but the Swiss shot-stopper didn’t stand on his head either. His best moment came in the 95th minute when he denied Luis Diaz Bayern’s third goal.
Waldemar Anton
Patrick: 4
Anton performed as expected when Dortmund had time to move into a low block but was abysmal when the team was in transition. Luis Diaz repeatedly
had Anton’s number when Bayern played a diagonal pass behind Dortmund. Jobe’s failure to clear the ball earned the most scrutiny from this match but Anton’s failure to win the ball in the lead-up to Bayern’s second goal was equally egregious.
Nico Schlotterbeck
Patrick: 9
I am going to resort to begging: please give this man a new contract. Schlotterbeck’s ability on and off the ball is such an asset for Borussia Dortmund. The center-back has an argument for best performance out of either starting XI which is saying something considering Dortmund’s two conceded goals. No outfield player had more tackles, interceptions, or recoveries, than Nico Schlotterbeck. It’s no surprise that both of Bayern’s goals came when they circumvented Nico via set piece or long ball. On the ball, he led the game in passes into the final third and made up for Dortmund’s struggling creativity in midfield with his own ability.
Niklas Süle
Patrick: 3
About as uninvolved as a center-back can be. The veteran center-back clearly wasn’t ready for this match. Sule registered only two defensive actions in a 45-minute spell where the other team had 74% of the ball.
Julian Ryerson
Patrick: 8
The nature of Dortmund’s tactics leaves Julian Ryerson with a lot of work to do and, more importantly, a lot of space to cover. Ryerson did well to be Dortmund’s most creative player on the ball and ultimately earned an assist with an inch-perfect cross to Brandt. The Norwegian’s other crosses left a lot to be desire but ultimately Ryerson did well to tie back Luis Diaz and Konrad Laimer. Bayern found the winning goal by exploiting the space behind Ryerson but that risk is a product of how Dortmund play and Anton should have done better to cover.
Daniel Svensson
Patrick: 6
Svensson is not nearly as threatening on the ball as Ryerson (or anyone else for that matter) but he consistently delivers reliable defensive performances. The Swede did well to limit Olise to poor shots on the edge of the area and he grew into the game on offense as the match progressed.
Pascal Gross
Patrick: 4
Dortmund ultimately lost this match because Bayern dominated the middle of the pitch. The ratings reflect that. Pascal Gross’s inclusion was meant to inject a calm veteran presence, which he did at times, but ultimately served as a reminder why the 34-year-old has spent most of this season on the bench. Gross was often chasing shadows and couldn’t reliably cover enough ground to compete with Kimmich or Pavlovic. His creativity on the ball ultimately did not make up for his issues off the ball.
Felix Nmecha
Patrick: 5
Nmecha was the only midfielder who matched Bayern’s energy in midfield and he did well as an outlet for Dortmund’s center-backs. The issue with Nmecha in this match (and the rest of his matches) is that he struggled to impact the game further up the field. He should have scored with an open header in the 49th minute.
Marcel Sabitzer
Patrick: 3
This was Sabitzer’s worst performance of the season. The 31-year-old Austria really struggled to imprint himself on the match and failed to win any duels, create any meaningful chances, or progress the ball consistently.
Serhou Guirassy
Patrick: 4
It was a very anonymous game for Guirassy. The first half saw Dortmund fail to create any meaningful chances and Guirassy was very limited in what he could have done. The second half saw the team, and Guirassy, get more looks in front of goal. The striker ultimately ended with just one shot, but he did well to help create a chance for Adeyemi in the 65th minute.
Karim Adeyemi
Patrick: 6
Adeyemi’s match really boils down to the 65th minute when he sliced a shot wide that he really should have put away. Those game winning moments are where the 23-year-old needs to find consistency to elevate himself to a top-level talent. Outside of that moment, however, I thought Adeyemi looked threatening and was the better of Dortmund’s two attackers on the field.
Substitutes
Rami Bensebaini
Patrick: 6
Was a noticeable improvement on Sule but didn’t stand out.
Jobe Bellingham
Patrick: 4
Bringing a 20-year-old on in a match against the country’s perennial winners is always a gamble. Ultimately, I thought Bellingham was an improvement on Marcel Sabitzer in 16 minutes and 55 seconds of his 17-minute appearance. The issue is the five seconds where he failed to clear the ball. I honestly find it hard to decipher whether it was a weird bounce, inexperience, or poor timing but, in a perfect world, Jobe would have cleared the ball with his first touch. Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect word and Jobe gets a 4 in the ratings!
This being said – I would have tremendous respect for Kovac if Jobe plays in this week’s UCL tie. It would be the perfect game to back the player.
Maximilian Beier
Patrick: 5
Dortmund looked better after Beier came on the field but I think that had nothing to do with the striker’s inclusion. He didn’t do much.
Julian Brandt
Patrick: 7
Brandt’s six-minute saw him score a goal and look bright on the ball in his limited touches. Ultimately, the game turned into a bit of chaos ball in the last ten minutes, and Brandt leaned into it. He could have had an assist in the 88th minute with a decent cut-back but ultimately Nmecha’s shot was blocked.
Fabio Silva
Patrick: n/a
Silva looked very bright, but it was ultimately too little time to reach a fair rating.
Overall
Patrick: 7
“You lost, played like garbage in the first half, and are going to lose the Bundesliga for the gazillionth time” I hear you say. The good news is you’re right! The better news is that Dortmund have markedly improved in every facet of how they play between this season and last season. This same fixture last season saw Dortmund tie a worse Bayern team, but the underlying numbers suggested that Bayern beat the brakes off Dortmund (8 big chances vs. Dortmund’s 3). This match saw Dortmund play way too passive in the first half, fall one goal behind the best Bayern Munich we have seen in a long time, and then go toe-to-toe with them in the second half. Poor finishing let Dortmund down in the second half, but I would argue that Kovac’s men were the better side in the second half. If Kovac and Dortmund trust themselves to face off against Europe’s best teams instead of playing passive, they have a decent shot at winning. It cannot be understated how important this is after we spent five seasons on the backfoot.
Your Thoughts
Am I coping? Probably but let me know below!
