Borussia Dortmund inflicted a 3-1 defeat on Borussia Monchengladbach at Borussia Park on Saturday.
Goals for Marco Reus, Henrik Mhikitaryan and Ilkay Gundogan ensured that Raffael’s goal was not enough for the home side.
A dominant counter-attacking display rattled Andre Schubert’s men, who looked unsettled in defence all night and struggled to deal with the pace of the men in yellow.
Formations
Andre Schubert lined his men up in their standard 4-4-2 formation, but with Nico Elvedi deputising at centre-back rather than new signing Martin Hinteregger.
Borussia Monchengladbach XI (4-4-2): Sommer (GK); Korb, Christensen, Elvedi, Wendt; Traore, Nordtveit, Dahoud, Johnson; Stindl, Raffael.
The visitors lined up as expected in a 4-3-3, with Gonzalo Castro filling the void left by an injured Shinji Kagawa in midfield.
Borussia Dortmund XI (4-3-3): Burki (GK); Piszczek, Sokratis, Hummels, Park, Gundogan, Weigl, Castro, Reus, Aubameyang, Mhikitaryan.
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Ball-watching exposes Gladbach
Against a pacy forward line like that of Dortmund’s, attention to runners is key. However on multiple occasions, particularly for the goals, Gladbach’s defence was found wanting, ball watching at key times, and allowing costly runs to go unchecked.
As Ilkay Gundogan carried the ball forward, Elvedi solely watched him, rather than tracking the run of Reus behind him. This is not a huge problem if there is cover, however his partner Andreas Christensen was more or less copying him, and Reus was able to latch onto the through ball, and finish under little, if any, pressure.
Similarly, for Dortmund’s second and third goals, the runs of Mhikitaryan and Gundogan respectively were completely untracked, as players instead clamored towards the ball. Defensive organisation is key, however Gladbach were severely lacking.
Dortmund make the most of midfield turnovers
Both Dortmund’s second and third goals came through lightning quick counter-attacks, as is their style. However, those came about initially through hounding pressure in defence. In the lead-up to Mhikataryan’s goal for a 2-0 lead, Ibrahima Traore was dispossessed by Mats Hummels, and Dortmund swooped on the ball. One crisp pass from Gundogan found Reus breaking down the left, and as he cut inside, the scurrying home defence opened a perfect channel for Reus to pass off.
Gundogan scored a goal of his own later on, thanks to another display of pressing in defence. Mo Dahoud was pressured and harried by Mhikitaryan and Sokratis, who charged up the field with the ball before sending the former scurrying through. Mhikataryan held up the ball, before crossing for Gundogan to score. Gladbach’s defence was unable to keep up and work with the pace of Dortmund’s counter-attacks, particularly when executed so well.
Gladbach Conclusion
A second loss to Dortmund for the season comes weeks after the dismantling at the hands of Leverkusen, and Andre Schubert must accept that his team is susceptible to becoming undone against faster, counter-attacking teams. With both those teams in the race for top four, matches against them become crucial in the hunt for European football. With only one such clash left, against Leverkusen late in the season, Schubert must address the defensive issues and propensity to give the ball away in midfield before it properly affects the season.
Schubert’s side remains in fourth spot for now after Leverkusen could only draw overnight, however only by a point, and can feel their rivals breathing down the back of their neck.
Dortmund Conclusion
This win maintained the eight-point gap to leaders Bayern Munich, which hardly looks set to close given the form of the reigning champions. However, Dortmund still have a match to play against Munich this season, but will need to keep matching or bettering their results if a result against them is to have any impact. Tuchel’s side still has an eight-point gap back to the chasing pack, starting with Hertha Berlin in third, so is more than comfortable in second.
With the return of Kagawa on the radar in the next few weeks, the second half of the season is beginning to look like a positive one for the crowd at the Westfalenstadion.
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