Post Match Reaction: Dortmund Victorious in Physical Encounter ...

This was one of those typical matches between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund where nearly every challenge is physical, with large stretches of the game playing out like a back-and-forth ping-pong match. The midfield was heavily contested, but Dortmund came out on top in a match that both sides needed to win. This is a positive result and it was Dortmund’s fourth win in a row and an important way to enter the international break.

Braver Tactics

It wasn't perfect, it wasn't pretty, but this was a braver tactical setup than we’ve seen from Dortmund in recent weeks. Instead of committing two defensive midfielders to holding the midfield, Terzic went with just Emre Can, while implementing five attackers to begin the match. The first half looked especially positive, despite Schlotterbeck’s mistake leading to a goal- but the goal also came off a great save from Meyer, and was struck home from outside the box by Mario Götze in impressive fashion. The finish from Adeyemi to level the game came after sustained pressure and creative build-up, especially from Donnell Malen.

The second half also looked better, though certain stretches seemed to revert to the tactics of old. But Dortmund still managed to threaten through set pieces, as seen by Julian Brandt’s free kick that Mats Hummels netted with a diving header. I think this was a promising performance, and most importantly, this was an entertaining match.

Happy Dortmund Photo by Leon Kuegeler/Getty Images Individual Improvements

News broke this week of Germany’s squad for the upcoming break which included one Dortmund player: Niklas Füllkrug. While his performance today was near abysmal, the same cannot be said for his compatriots who will be vying for limited places at the Euros this summer. Other than that mistake leading to Frankfurt’s opener, Nico Schlotterbeck played a strong game with over 135 touches and a passing completion over 90%. Julian Brandt, while not yet back to his best, looked good today, creative, and recorded an assist. Emre Can had one of his better matches of this season, which was why we were all astonished when the ref brandished a red card, (this would have been the first time I was surprised, this is Emre Can after all) but thankfully VAR intervened to overturn the infraction. Replays showed a damn good tackle in my opinion... maybe a bit heavy on the follow-through. Who else? Mats Hummels, our stalwart defender boasts some strong stats in addition to his goal. Even Marius Wolf was decent. Most importantly, this setup had more cohesion than we’re used to seeing from BVB.

Importance of the Win

This win comes at a time when Edin Terzic has been under scrutiny despite winning several consecutive matches. Now, looking at Dortmund’s upcoming fixtures, they face the other four of the top six, and have a match against Gladbach and a two-legged tie with Atletico in-between. Every match feels like a must-win, and each match is going to be very difficult to win. For the sake of player confidence, this win will help Dortmund ahead of the international break. The upside to so many Dortmund Germans being left out of Julian Nagelsman’s squad means the BVB players will have more time to train with Dortmund.

Your Thoughts?

What did you think of the match? Do you have any positive takeaways?