Oh dear, oh dear, BVB
Whatever Edin Terzić's plan may have been, it was shredded in the air by FC Bayern after four minutes, nine minutes at the latest. Defender Dayot Upamecano and star striker Harry Kane had given Munich a 2-0 lead and it was clear to everyone that BVB were finished. Of course, there were still 81 minutes to play plus stoppage time. But the record champions had arrived at the old Westfalenstadion in such a fury that Dortmund could barely shake the shock from their bones. Donyell Malen missed a huge chance to drag Borussia back into the game just before the break, and later Manuel Neuer thwarted another chance from Marco Reus.
But that was as good as it got that evening. Once again, nothing. Dortmund went down 0:4 (0.2) and thus bowed out of the title race for the time being. The same goes for RB Leipzig, who had lost 2-0 to bottom-placed FSV Mainz 05 in the afternoon. A duel is developing at the top between FC Bayern and Bayer 04 Leverkusen, who continue to be furious. Just like seven months ago, when Munich showed a strong reaction with a 4:2 win against Dortmund after the surprising departure of Julian Nagelsmann, this was another immensely important and powerful victory.
And the Black & Yellows were never even close to the furious 2:2 almost a year ago, when Anthony Modeste completely freaked out the stadium in the 95th minute when former boss Oliver Kahn, who has since been swept from court, slipped off his chair in shock. History. History that will not be repeated.
Fear of one's own courage again
Everything was supposed to be different that evening. Munich had arrived in a battered state, had embarrassed themselves in the DFB Cup against third-division side 1. FC Saarbrücken during the week and, according to Sky expert Dietmar, were easier to beat than they had been for a long time. The door was open for BVB, according to the man who once grew up at FC Bayern and is increasingly becoming persona non grata there. In recent weeks, he had already fought a remarkable long-distance duel with Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, which the Munich manager escalated on Saturday evening (as you can read here).
But the open door thing is becoming a problem at Borussia. When things seem simpler than they really are, BVB panic. This was seen in greater drama on May 27, when the championship trophy clattered out of their hands. And in a much less dramatic form against FC Bayern, who played as furiously as if there had been neither the cup defeat nor the discussions about the state of the team, which experts considered to be anything but stable. Where was the self-confidence that the Black & Yellows had gradually built up after poor performances at the start of the season? Where was the serene, mature and robust play that Dortmund had shown recently? Absorbed by the merciless Bavarians, who wanted to do everything for themselves again that evening, for their self-image.
And so there are two things you can rely on in German soccer: Munich are always at their most dangerous when they are battered and fired up. And BVB get scared of their own courage in big games. "Bayern were more aggressive in tackles, won a lot of important duels and were dangerous on the counter-attacks," said goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who was one of the best in his team and spectacularly defused a number of the visitors' chances. "They often had a lot of big spaces, they were more dangerous and also came out of the locker room better." Anyone hoping for a furious reaction from the hosts in the second half after the nine-minute debacle at the start of the game was dealt a blow by their naivety. Even with Niklas Süle as a substitute, the torso did not become a stable construct. The BVB defense continued to give away great chances. At least the will was there, but not the means.
Powerless against pace and ball security
BVB barely, if at all, managed to get on level terms. Perhaps also because Terzić was quite wrong with his formation. Right-back Marius Wolf was a total failure. His poor performance culminated in whistles from the home fans when he only watched Leroy Sané dribble but did not disturb him. Salih Özcan also failed to get a grip as the intended stabilizer. The middle was Munich territory, especially that of Goretzka, who played with a hand cuff due to an injury.
Dortmund were no match for the incredible pace of the visitors. Brutally exposed at 2:0, on the perfect counter-attack. In a running duel, the 27-year-old Sané sprinted away from Mats Hummels, who was seven years his senior, in front of national coach Nagelsmann. In general, the coach had opted more for technique than pace, even in the attacking areas. However, that was easy for Bayern to defend against. There were no creative ideas. Perhaps Felix Nmecha would have helped in the center, but the new signing, who was getting in better and better form, only came off the bench (too) late.
And up front? There was nothing there. At least not on the pitch, Niclas Füllkrug was listed on paper. There was nothing to see. Another problem for Dortmund: the absence of a reliable striker. Goalscorer Sébastien Haller has fallen into a hole following his recovery from cancer and an outstanding second half of the season, while substitute Füllkrug, last year's top scorer in a Werder Bremen shirt, has yet to really get going. And Youssoufa Moukoko is simply having a hard time with Terzić at the moment.
The defeat really hurt him: "Everything we had planned for the game didn't happen, especially in the early stages - and then we were 2-0 down after eight minutes. We then tried to influence the game, but we couldn't cope with the pace or the ball security of our opponents." Borussia allowed themselves to be countered twice and punished by Kane. The plan? Lightning shredded.
Borussia Dortmund's plan to challenge FC Bayern Munich in the Soccer Bundesliga was dismantled early, with Goals from Dayot Upamecano and Harry Kane giving Bayern a 2-0 lead within the first nine minutes. Despite Edin Terzic's efforts, Dortmund struggled to keep up with Bayern's pace and ball security, leading to a 4-0 defeat and a setback in the title race.
Despite expert predictions suggesting that Bayern were easier to beat following their embarrassing loss to third-division team 1. FC Saarbrücken, Dortmund's fear of their own courage in big games came to the fore, leading to a disappointing performance and a lopsided result.
Source: www.ntv.de
