BVB after draw against Barça: disappointing success

Bundesliga

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If at Borussia Dortmund has been talked about something very often, then about their own claim. In the Bundesliga, the club has offensively called the championship as a goal, even if coach Lucien Favre here and there may express a little more cautious.

At the start of the Champions League, the new self-confidence of BVB was put to the test: FC Barcelona was a guest, a world-class team, with the recovering Lionel Messi, at least on the bench, a player many consider to be the best Keep history. And yet it was said before the game: "We want to win."

At the end there is a 0: 0. BVB starts with one point against the strongest group opponent, a permanent title candidate - and is dissatisfied. "I'd rather go home feeling that we've missed a tight buffer in the group," said Mats Hummels, facing 1-1 (0-0) between the other group rivals Inter and Slavia Prague , Also manager Michael Zorc said: "In the end you are a bit disappointed because you felt it was more in it."

Even before the game Axel Witsel had said that in the Champions League, the quarter-finals must be the goal. But is that realistic? Where is the club after the kick-off? What can BVB achieve? And what is not working yet?

Hummels against Barça best Dortmund

The fact is: FC Barcelona are not yet in top shape and have not won the third away game of the season. Still, it's a big, dangerous team. And BVB was close to beating them. In the second half Dortmund was the better team and earned numerous big chances.

But above all, it's the defensive game that has improved Dortmund. In the past season, BVB failed in league and Champions League also, because the team was too vulnerable. For example, the knockout round against Tottenham is explained by the fact that the right-back side of the attacking Achraf Hakimi was too open at that time.

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Also against Barcelona Hakimi was offensive again set. The right outside player in front of him, mostly Thorgan Hazard, sometimes Jadon Sancho, moved into the center to make room for Hakimi. Barcelona's left winger Antoine Griezmann was forced to do too much defensive work. For a long time, the French world champion was barely visible in attack - until he switched sides. Gaps are caused by such an offensive urge Hakimis anyway, so that the right side was sometimes more susceptible than the left of Raphael Guerreiro.

And yet the Dortmund defensive was remarkably stable, thanks in particular to Mats Hummels. The central defender was the best Borussia, caught many balls by his good positional play, clarified again and again at the last moment and was enormously powerful.

Dortmund fails at the opportunity evaluation

But throughout the group coach Favre liked the game against the ball in the second half. Even the 59th minute substitute Messi stopped Dortmund again and again, sometimes by a Hummels-straddle, sometimes by a Reus-tackling, sometimes in the collective, when two or three players stopped the Argentine together. Favre called the second 45 minutes "excellent" and captain Reus said he did not know if the team could play better than in the second half.

What is missing BVB then at all?

Especially a better chance evaluation. Especially Reus is to be mentioned here. Several times he failed to Barcelona's outstanding goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen (25th minute, 78th), even by penalty (57th). He scored from ten meters away over the goal (75.). Reus had a long-standing reputation not to shape the big games decisively enough. That he is capable, he showed in the last season at the latest Bundesliga first leg against Bayern. The draw against Barcelona was a small step back for Reus, at least on this point.

"They hurt us"

But: The wider squad - and this is another development step of BVB - has now more of those players who can decide a game than last season. Julian Brandt could have been against Barcelona, ​​but shortly after substituting, he hit only the crossbar (77).

The respect of the opponent seemed big anyway. This was shown by the laudatory words of Barça coach Ernesto Valverde ("They hurt us", "We had to suffer") as well as a scene after the final whistle. Then Hummels and Luis Suárez exchanged their jerseys. And when asked why Hummels was wearing this shirt, the Dortmunder said, "Because he asked me."

If the BVB now also increases its chances, without losing the defensive security, then the goal quarter-finals is quite possible.

Borussia Dortmund - FC Barcelona 0: 0
Dortmund: Bürki - Hakimi, Akanji, Hummels, Guerreiro - Witsel, Delaney, Sancho, Reus, T. Hazard (73rd Brandt) - Alcácer (87th Bruun Larsen)
Barcelona: ter Stegen - Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Jordi Alba (40th Sergi Roberto) - Busquets (60th Rakitic), de Jong, Arthur, Ansu Fati (59th Messi), Griezmann - Suárez
Referee: Hategan (Romania)
Yellow Cards: Delaney, Hazard / Pique, Semedo
Viewers: 66,099 (sold out)
Special incident: ter Stegen holds penalty kick by Reus (57.)