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Borussia Dortmund wins in Champions League: BVB's patience offensive

2020-10-29T08:32:48.039Z


Again, Borussia Dortmund did not concede a goal - because the attack is also diligent in defensive work. BVB showed particular strengths in the success over Zenit Saint Petersburg.


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Capturing balls, lurking, hitting: Erling Haaland embodies the Dortmund game in particular

Photo: FRIEDEMANN VOGEL / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock

This game will not go down in football history, said Michael Zorc.

The sports director sounded a little rushed, as if every sentence about the game against Zenit Saint Petersburg was too much.

The performance fit in very well with a new pattern at BVB: There are now four games that Borussia Dortmund has played in their own stadium this season - and the record is flawless.

In the Bundesliga three games were won with 10-0 goals.

Against Zenit in the Champions League it was now a 2-0.

"Compulsory task fulfilled", said Zorc shortly and succinctly.

"We're happy to take the three points with us."

It wasn't an outstanding performance by BVB, but it was better - and in such a well-managed game, the dominant team usually has the hope of scoring at some point.

But also fear of falling behind with a counterattack.

It then happened like this: Jadon Sancho scored late for the lead with a penalty (78th), in the final minute Erling Haaland increased.

Again, there was no goal.

"There can always be a counterattack, but we didn't give them the opportunity," said coach Lucien Favre and he spoke again about the danger of falling behind.

BVB drove the fear away with a strong performance on the defensive.

It started with the counter-pressing, i.e. in those moments when an attack had fizzled out again and the ball was lost.

He was often brought back immediately, by players like Erling Haaland, Giovanni Reyna, Marco Reus and Jadon Sancho, i.e. those who stand for offensive, for assists and goals.

However, the Russian champions also had a variant of the opening of the game that was so simple that it was impossible to counter-press it: the long pass.

Zenit chose him frequently, in the first half with the target of the beefy center forward Artem Dzyuba, in the second with the target of the quick attacker Andrei Mostovoy.

The attempts were desperate, because Manuel Akanji and Mats Hummels ensured safety in the center of the BVB back four.

"They were very good with the header and anticipated the depth," Favre praised the two central defenders, who both managed without a foul.

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Akanji clarifies, Hummels covers

Photo: FRIEDEMANN VOGEL / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock

As in the 3-0 win in the Revierderby against FC Schalke four days earlier, there was no shot from the opponent at BVB's goal on Wednesday.

In both games, Favre chose a back four in defense.

The fact that the changeover went so smoothly after months with a three-man chain plays Favre very well in the cards, because there are at least short-term problems to find a good third central defender.

Emre Can, who was banned from St. Petersburg because of a red card, is in isolation after a positive corona test, Lukasz Piszczek is out of shape, Dan-Axel Zagadou is still injured.

Like Can, Akanji was also infected with the coronavirus.

Since he came back, he has shown appealing performances in two games, against Schalke the Swiss even scored the 1-0 goal.

In the 1: 3 against Lazio a week ago on the first group match day of the premier class, he was still missing.

Now, after the game against Zenit, Akanji looked primarily at BVB's offensive efforts: "We needed a lot of patience today."  

The late bird

The Dortmunders often talk about patience, Favre uses the word inflationary.

In the club this should be viewed critically from time to time, fans of the BVB accuse the coach of inhibiting the players in their offensive urge if he constantly preaches patience.

However, Favre's required patience should not be understood as timidity.

The coach demands that attacks be carried out with speed, just not with your head through the wall.

Be patient, be clever.

If the left side is blocked, he requests a shift, if necessary also via the central defender or the goalkeeper.

That is not very attractive, but it is often helpful.

Playing with many and long phases of ball possession tires the opponent, who then leaves spaces free or makes mistakes.

BVB scored all five goals against Schalke and St. Petersburg in the second half.

Of the seven goals in the home games against Mönchengladbach and Freiburg, only two get before the break, none of them in the first half hour of the game.

In their own stadium, Borussia Dortmund has succeeded brilliantly this season in building a patient game based on a strong defense.

There is still a problem away from home, but the balance sheet can be spruced up in the following two games at Arminia Bielfeld (Saturday, 3.30 p.m.) and Club Bruges next Wednesday (9 p.m.)

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Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2020-10-29

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