BVB overcame VFL Wolfsburg at home on Sunday night, keeping their unbeaten record intact and keeping pace with Bayern Munich as best as possible. Both sides came into the match yet to suffer a loss in this
season’s Bundesliga, but Wolfsburg will go home bitter, as they held their own very well against a BVB attack that looked rather flat for about 85 of the 90 minutes.
Karim Adeyemi’s rocket from beyond the 18-yard box was enough to clinch three points for BVB, but it was a less-than-convincing performance overall. Wolfsburg successfully marked Serhou Guirassy out of the game, limiting his ability to influence the attack. Dortmund, for their part, didn’t help either, providing the Guinean with about 100 wayward and inaccurate crosses over the course of the match. Wolfsburg had a flawed attacking plan as well, looking to drive counterattacks through Mohamed Amoura, who struggled to out-muscle Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck.
Neither team was particularly threatening, and none of the 22 men on the field were particularly impressive. I’ll try to pick the four best from the yellow team.
Karim Adeyemi
Adeyemi won the game for Dortmund and was the most difficult player to contain in a Black and Yellow jersey. Adeyemi’s pace and quick thinking challenged the Wolfsburg back line until he was given a rest at the 77th minute. Adeyemi nearly had a second when Guirassy teed him up for a volley, but the bouncing ball was too difficult to bring into touch. Adeyemi is beginning to present himself as Dortmund’s “X-factor” for the season.
Felix Nmecha
Nmecha didn’t do anything crazy in this match, but I appreciated his spacing and work ethic. Nmecha had five ball recoveries to keep BVB in the opposition half, and regularly provided an outlet to keep the attack ticking back and forth while BVB looked for openings in the Wolfsburg rear guard. Nmecha is also growing in confidence with his long-range finish; he sizes up the shot every time he receives the ball around the 18-yard line. This is an excellent option for BVB to have when the box is packed with defenders.
Nico Schlotterbeck
Schlotterbeck, Schlotterback. And doing Schlotter things. From the outset, Nico Schlotterbeck’s passing range and forward vision revived a dynamic that BVB have been missing since he went out injured. His strength, awareness, and defensive prowess took significant pressure off of Anton, allowing him to focus on his own game, and he looked better for it. Welcome back, and thank God.
Julian Ryerson
Ryerson makes the list here for his assist and his time spent on the ball. Other than that, it was not a thrilling performance from the Norwegian. Ryerson’s crosses were woeful all match, and his careless foul at the end of the game nearly threw away all of Dortmund’s hard work. I’m glad Kovac rested Couto, but Ryerson did not necessarily make a case to displace the Brazilian going forward.
Who was your MOTM? Let me know in the comments.
