It was back to Bundesliga business for Borussia Dortmund after Juergen Klopp had become the centre of attention midweek, announcing his departure at the end of the season.
If the Paderborn match teaches us one thing, it is that the black and yellows appear to have stomached the news considerably well.
Farewell tour suspended
When Klopp stepped onto the podium last Wednesday and conceded he no longer felt like the perfect fit for the club, it did not take long until the possible implications for the Saturday match at home against Paderborn became a hot topic all around the region.
What would the reaction of the fans look like, and —arguably even more important—what about the players? Would the park descent into a collective state of mourning or would both fans and players notch up their performance?
As it turned out during the first 30 minutes of the match, much to a spectator’s surprise, none of that would happen. Instead, the game started off relatively tame and quiet. Klopp fielded the same formation fans are now familiar with and due to the absence of Marco Reus, it took an outstanding Henrikh Mkhitaryan to finally instigate a cracking BVB surge after half an hour.
Whilst a couple of neat assists and artistic shots of his remained unused, he finally broke the deadlock himself early in the second half, heading a sharp cross past goalkeeper Lukas Kruse. A now reinvigorated, at ease Dortmund side subsequently dominated Paderborn, scoring two more by dint of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2-0) and Shinji Kagawa (3-0).
The overall shots on target statistic read 21 to two in favour of BVB. Following the final whistle, some Juergen Klopp chants did flare up from the famous south stand, however less poignant and more celebratory than feared by some. The message of both coach and players, who visibly relished the show of the Suedtribuene, was clear: the time for goodbyes is later.
Surprise inclusion Matthias Ginter very promising, Mkhitaryan sublime
World Cup winner Matthias Ginter may have been as surprised as any onlooker when he found his name noted down next to Ilkay Guendogan’s in the starting lineup. The centre-half played a solid match in defensive midfield, ran more kilometres than any other field player at 11.3km, assisted Aubameyang’s goal and fired a couple of sharp shots at Paderborn’s goal. He generally appeared omnipresent and certainly seized the chance Klopp handed to him.
Next to Ginter, Mkhitaryan’s contribution cannot be overstated. The Armenian was the most active player on the pitch even before his goal. Yet you could see the weight coming off his shoulders after, resulting in an even livelier performance in the final 20 minutes of the match. Mkhitaryan pulled off the most attempts on goal (four) and most sprints (34) of any player across both sides. His display was superb, studded with clever runs, back-heels and volleys. It must have reminded the crowd what kind of player he can be on a good day. He beamed during a bvbtotal post match interview and agreed that it was possibly ‘one of his best days this season’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUISebkMCHI
Europe beckoning?
Another three points in the bag means that the Europa League is now a more realistic target than ever. Dortmund have closed the gap to the sixth place in the table to five points with just as many games remaining, some of them against direct competitors for the highly coveted spot.
Dortmund need a convincing run now, which in view of their next opponents (Frankfurt at home) appears feasible to say the least. It would be a mellow ending to a rough year, one that Borussia’s next coach —now confirmed to be Thomas Tuchel — would presumably appreciate. Europa League football has become a possibility. Can they clinch it?
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