After BVB’s loss in Paris on Tuesday, it didn’t seem like a good idea for them to play at home against high-flying Wolfsburg. Four out of the last five games that Niko Kovac’s team played, they won, and Danish striker Jonas Wind seemed to be finally coming into his own as a top-level nine.
Terzic made six changes to the lineup after the loss to PSG, but he kept the back three as the main idea. Nmecha, JBG, Bensebaini, Füllkrug, Reus, and Ozcan all started. Even though Dortmund had a hard time breaking through Wolfsburg’s strong defense for a lot of the game, they were in charge the whole time.
They rightly took the lead when Reus scored from close range after a beautiful move by Donny and Jule. Even though the score wasn’t more safe because Wolfsburg had a strong back line and we made some bad decisions in the last third, we never really felt in danger because Wolfsburg only got one shot on goal.
What I thought of that game was this:
A Masterclass with Terzic?
In modern football, a “box” center with four central players is all the rage, and today we saw Terzic’s version of it. On paper, Dortmund played a 4-3-3 formation, but they changed to a 3-2-4-1 (Brandt dropped into the middle, Bens tucked in, and Ryerson moved high and wide). This strategy helped us in a few ways. First, we always had an extra player in midfield. Second, we could move JBG higher up the field so he could run at defenders.
Third, it was much easier for us to move the ball from the defensive third into midfield, which was something we had a hard time doing until today. Bringing Oz back to play with the disliked Nmecha was a controversial choice, but his energy and positional control made it possible for the more free-roaming players in the middle to cause trouble. When we were on defense, we were very good at stopping up the middle (either in a 4-1-4-1 with Oz as a deep six or in a 4-4-2 with Reus and Füllkrug up top), which didn’t give Wolfsburg much to cheer about.
We were in great position, and Terzic’s changes were very good. The substitution of Donny for a tired-looking JBG was a masterstroke. Donny’s movement off the ball is very different from JBG’s, which threw off the Wolfsburg defense and led to our goal almost right away. Terzic made a big statement today by playing without his captain and several regular players, and it’s good to see them have to fight for their spot. The way the team was set up tactically also gave several players a chance to shine (see below), and they did. Today, Edin got a perfect score.
Themes of Redemption A lot!
I wanted to call attention to Nmecha, Oz, and Bens in particular.
Since Bens joined, I’ve been very hard on him because he’s not a top fullback. Terzic has realized that’s right: he’s not a fullback at all. Even though he was supposed to be our left-back, Bens tucked in as a backup center-back. This meant that his poor technique and limited offensive skills weren’t shown, since we could move JBG higher and use an extra 10 to help the winger (instead of a full-back who switched sides). As he sat down a little lower, his lack of speed wasn’t a problem, and the 3-2-4-1 formation gave them more passing options, so the other team couldn’t just press him like they have in most league games so far. It was by far his best game for BVB so far.
Oz worked hard in the middle of the field. Even though he wasn’t the most creative or bold player, he made it hard for Wolfsburg’s center players and easy for ours. His positional precision and work rate made up for Nmecha’s lack of defense, and he returned the ball seven times, which was tied for the most. In the attack, he was a great place to drop off and get the play going again. Should have been chosen over Can.
Felix Nmecha was standing next to Oz. Since he moved to Dortmund, the German has gotten a lot of criticism for his poor play, high transfer fee, and what some people say are his strange views. He played pretty well against PSG, but a stupid mistake trumped that. But that was a clear sign that he does best with at least two midfielders backing him (we played with three midfielders against PSG, and he played in a three for Wolfsburg last season). Oz’s all-action defensive presence and the box gave him the structure he needed to do well. He may have been one of our best players that day, moving the ball forward and getting it back in an amazing mix of silk and steel.
Growing up
When you beat a team that has been better than you most of the season by a score of 1-0, it looks like a nerve-wracking game on paper. But the underlying stats look very good, with Wolfsburg only getting one shot on goal, less than 40% of the ball, and an xG of less than 0.5. We could have won more if we had been better at finishing and making decisions, but we never looked like we were going to lose this game. The showing reminded me of the early part of last season, when we worked hard to win 1-0 games. I used the word “maturity” then, and I’ll use it again now. Today, we played well and showed glimpses of how good we could be when we were all going on all cylinders. However, it’s always amazing to beat a team in great shape without having to really get out of second gear. We hope this will be the start of a good run going forward.
- Reus makes everyone around him better, and both he and Brandt do a great job in the co-10 roles that the 3-2-4-1 gives them. He must start when he’s ready. • Mats Hummels still looks like a class act, even when he’s in a role he’s never played before.
- Wolfsburg’s kits looked horrible today. It seemed like someone had left them all night in a tub of highlighter fluid. I wouldn’t say I’m a big fan of ours, but theirs are really scary.
- Give credit where credit is due: the refs did a good job today. Jablonski made it clear that he was going to let the game go more freely, and his choices were usually the same. To each his own.
What do you think?
What did you think of the show today? How well did Terzic do? How bad are the kits in Wolfsburg? Please tell us!
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