At the end of the 18th matchday, Borussia Dortmund won 2-0 (1-0) over Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returned to the title race. The winners, losers and the grades as well as individual reviews of the BVB pros.
In the third win in the third game of the new year, a full-back and keeper Gregor Kobel were particularly convincing on the BVB side. Meanwhile, the loser is a new winter signing who had big problems against a B04 striker.
Winner: Marius Wolf
Moved into the starting eleven as an emergency solution for Raphael Guerreiro and, with a top performance, recommended himself as a permanent alternative at right-back. Seemed extremely motivated in the duels and in the game going forward. Had his feet in the game decisively in both goals. Was also the Dortmunder with the most ball actions. Grade: 2.
Winner: Gregory Kobel
Was that a recommendation for FC Bayern? In a private duel with Moussa Diaby, the Swiss brought the Leverkusen striker to the brink of despair with his saves. With similar performances, Dortmund will still hold on to many points. Grade: 2.
Winner: Moussa Diaby
Strong performance by the winger. The BVB defense – especially Ryerson – repeatedly faced major problems. Was involved in almost every dangerous situation at Leverkusen. But it is imperative to work on his weaknesses in the final. Grade: 2.
Loser: Julian Ryerson
Was allowed to play from the start for the third time in a row, but he could not build on the solid performances from the previous games. Had the – admittedly more difficult – task of keeping Diaby in check, but that didn’t work at all. Didn’t even win a third of his duels. Offensively also very pale. grade: 5
Gregory Kobel: Held BVB’s victory with a few saves. Responded brilliantly three times against Diaby, and he was also the winner in a duel with Adli after the break. Not always clean at the opening of the game, but overall a strong performance. Grade: 2.
BVB: Defense
Marius Wolf: Had his defensive side largely under control and therefore repeatedly intervened dangerously in Dortmund’s offensive game. Initiated Adeyemi’s 1-0 lead when he won the ball against Amiri, and he even prepared the 2-0 directly. Grade: 2
Niklas Sule: Slowly but surely he seems to be able to build on his Bayern performances and is increasingly becoming Dortmund’s defense chief. Very confident in one-on-one fights and often used last man protection. Note 3.
Nico Schlotterbeck: Worked much safer than against Mainz and Augsburg. Not quite as strong as his neighbor Süle, but without fault and blame in defensive behavior. Grade: 3.5.
Julian Ryerson: Had great difficulty getting to grips with the lively Diaby. Defensive with some sloppy passes and turnovers. Offensively he didn’t set any accents at all. grade: 5
BVB: Midfield
Karim Adeyemi: Had some unfortunate moments early in the game when he stumbled on easy balls and lost the pace. Over time, he became more and more active, creating many dangerous actions and helping out at the back if necessary. Scored the goal to make it 1-0. Grade: 2.5.
Jude Bellingham: The defensive protection via Can and Özcan obviously did him good. Was able to turn on again and again in the offensive game. Participated in the 1-0 when he put Brandt in the limelight with a one-two and also played a sugar pass to Wolf before the 2-0. Grade: 2.5.
Emre Can: Nominally called up as the third six, he should defend the center against the enthusiastic Wirtz, Amiri and Adli. That didn’t always go well in the early stages, after all, many dangerous attacks from Leverkusen came down the middle. But it got better as the game went on. Then in the second half with many important duels and intercepted balls. Grade: 2.5.
Salih Ozcan: Very inconspicuous game of the ex-Cologne (the third fewest ball contacts of all Dortmund). Actually only appeared in the 60th minute when he picked up his 5th yellow card, which means he will miss the upcoming game against SC Freiburg. Defensively solid. grade: 4
Julian Brandt: Traveled a lot and tried to create gaps in the largely compact B04 defence. Kicked one or two dangerous standards. His run and the preliminary work, which ultimately led to the 1:0, were very nice. Note 3.
BVB: Attack
Sebastien Haller: Celebrated his starting eleven debut for Borussia Dortmund after good performances recently. Didn’t emit the goal threat he wanted, but was an important passing station and kept making balls well. Very strong before the 1-0 when he showed overview and let the ball through for Adeyemi. Note 3.
BVB: Substitute
Anthony Modest: Came in for Haller in the 61st minute. Substituted in a phase when BVB was almost exclusively limited to defensive tasks. Therefore hardly had any dangerous actions to recommend for further missions. grade: 4
Jamie Bynoe Gittens: Came in for Adeyemi in the 72nd minute. No rating.
Mats Hummels: Came in for Wolf in the 85th minute. No rating.
Marco Reus: Came in for Brandt in the 85th minute. No rating.
