Borussia Dortmund: Key takeaways from disappointing draw
Borussia Dortmund hosted APOEL Nicosia in UEFA Champions League action on Wednesday night and drew 1-1. The result means that Borussia Dortmund are in third place in their group, five points behind second placed Real Madrid with just two games to go.
Here are three things we learned from Borussia Dortmund’s disappointing draw against Apoel.
The high line is not working
It has been said before and it will probably be said again. The high line is not working for Borussia Dortmund. Peter Bosz refuses to alter his risky defensive tactics and Der BVB continue to struggle. Dortmund have effectively turned into a one trick pony under Bosz, and unfortunately, their trick no longer works. A poor pass from Bartra and a missed tackle was all APOEL needed to punish BVB. This flipped the script of the entire match as Dortmund had full control, as they should be expected to, considering the strength of their roster compared to their opposition. Once again, the high line cost Dortmund the three points in a crucial game.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Perhaps someone should tell Bosz this, as his naive stubbornness has effectively resulted in Dortmund crashing out of the Champions League. The Black and Yellows’ embarrassing display Wednesday night was shameful but unfortunately fitting of their Champions League efforts this season.
Raphael Guerriero is a crucial player
The Portuguese international made his long-awaited return to the starting XI on Wednesday and made an immediate impact. He casually struck home Dortmund’s only goal following a majestic Shinji Kagawa flick. Rapha was nuisance on the left flank, providing great offensive stability until he was eventually subbed off for Schmelzer. The Portuguese international adds an attacking threat from the back and has the capability to send in stellar crosses. The only downside to him playing is the fact that Schmelzer must take a seat on the bench. However, Bosz could choose to deploy Guerriero in midfield like Tuchel did last year. With Dahoud seemingly out of the picture for no apparent reason, Guerriero could fit in next to Götze or Kagawa. Rapha’s creativity is elite and he needs to be on the field for Dortmund to succeed.
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Marc Bartra is not a right back
Dortmund currently have a right back crisis with Łukasz Piszczek and Erik Durm out injured. This has led to Marc Bartra starting crucial matches out of position, as Jeremy Toljan has yet to perform well enough. Dortmund’s injury problems have hindered them greatly, and this was evident once again Wednesday night. It was a poor pass and missed tackle from Bartra that led to the APOEL goal. While the tackle was actually pretty good, it just took an unfortunate bounce that allowed APOEL through behind the back line, the poor pass must be attributed to the unfamiliarity of playing out of position. Bartra also didn’t offer much going forward, and doesn’t have anywhere near the crossing ability of Piszczek.
Jeremy Toljan is far more comfortable at right back, but it’s clear he’s a few years away from an elite level. As things stand, Dortmund probably would have been better off keeping Felix Passlack. It is Toljan’s inability to perform at a high level that has led to Dortmund being forced to play Bartra here.
With a crucial match up against the Bavarian giants on the horizon, Dortmund and Bartra will need to perform at their very best to avoid defeat and a potential killing blow to their title hopes.