Borussia Dortmund head into the winterpause in second place, having claimed all three points in a 2-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday night. Julian Brandt opened the scoring with a brilliant
volley from a perfectly placed cross from Niklas Süle, and Maximilian Beier topped it off with a late goal to secure victory for BVB. It wasn’t a great game, but Dortmund were never really in much danger and they got the job done without any hiccups or mistakes.
Now that the dust has settled, I thought I’d put together some late reactions. Rather than focusing on the game itself, my reaction to the win is more of a reflection on where things stand at the (almost) halfway point. Let’s get into it.
Reflecting on the Hinrunde
After 15 games and heading into the winterpause, BVB are sat in 2nd place, three points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig. Predicting Ball still thinks Bayer Leverkusen are a slightly better team, but it also sees BVB finishing just ahead of them in 2nd place. Despite the vibes, I think things are going pretty well this season. The Meisterschale is long gone, but that’s as much about Bayern Munich as it is anyone else. In the race for the Best of the Rest, BVB are doing a decent job.
I think the vibes here are a little worse than they should be given how the season is going. Right now, I think Dortmund are performing to or slightly above my expectations going into the season. They are alive in the Champions League and have a good shot at finishing 2nd in the Bundesliga. I’m pretty happy with that.
That doesn’t mean I completely disagree with all the complaints, but I think it is necessary to take a step back and be clear about where the problems lie. I think Niko Kovač is doing a really good job with the team he has at his disposal. I don’t agree with all his decisions, but he has this squad playing above its level.
I think all criticism needs to be aimed at the decision makers that left a good manager trying to fill holes. Kovač has never been given the squad he needs to really compete with Bayern, and I think the summer transfer window should be viewed as a failure (just as so many previous summer windows have been). I think Fabio Silva and Jude Bellingham both have bright futures, but neither are really making the team better right now. Silva doesn’t seem to get the minutes he deserves and Bellingham is competing with unrealistic expectations. If the plan was to build for the future, I’d be okay with these moves, but I think that needs to be communicated if so, and I’d argue a defensive midfielder that can raise the team’s level right now should have been a priority regardless.
Still, I think the Hinrunde has been a success given the tools at Kovač’s disposal. BVB’s defense has become incredibly reliable, and while Predicting Ball sees Leverkusen’s defense as the second-best in the league, I’d argue this is where BVB are clearly well ahead of everyone else other than Bayern Munich. Kovač has turned this team into a watertight outfit.
Where he does need to improve is the offense. BVB lack dynamism going forward. Everything is supposed to funnel through to Serhou Guirassy to score goals, but Guirassy is really off the boil right now. Perhaps Kovač can get him firing again, or the month off could do him real good. If not, Kovač needs to rethink things and come up with a more reliable Plan B. I think Fabio Silva deserves more playing time. Hopefully the coaching staff can spend the winterpause coming up with adjustments that make better use of Silva and make this offense less reliant on Guirassy.
Other Thoughts
- You want a player like Adeyemi to play with passion. When he’s right on the edge of losing his head, he is at his best. But finding that balance is difficult! He showed that on Friday. Adeyemi was fired up in the second half and he was causing Gladbach’s defense problems. He was also going to get himself sent off if he stayed on the pitch much longer.
- Pascal Groß is still really good but he doesn’t have the legs to play every week. If they can pick their moments and use him wisely, he can still be a valuable contributor.
- Maximilian Beier got a goal but was pretty wasteful in front of goal when he came off the bench. Equally, he did really well to get those chances, so deserves credit. I think we need to occasionally remember that getting shots is a skill and focus a little less on players missing those shots.
Your Thoughts?
How do you feel about Dortmund’s performance in the first half of this season? Let us know in the comments.
