Player Ratings: Woeful Borussia Dortmund crash against Bayern

Borussia Dortmund continued their poor run of form, losing 3-1 to arch rivals Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

Der BVB’s performance was riddled with mistakes and the defending Bundesliga champions made them pay as they opened up a six point cushion over Borussia Dortmund. Here are the player ratings for the Black and Yellows from their second successive defeat at home.

Roman Burki (6/10)

There was little he could have done to stop any of Bayern’s goals. But Burki would have been left very frustrated by those in front of him. Made a couple of good saves to prevent Bayern from making it worse for Borussia Dortmund. His five clean sheets in a row seems like forever ago now.

Marc Bartra (6/10)

The Spaniard is simply not a right-back. Got caught out of position multiple times during the game. However, he improved after switching to the centre of defense after Sokratis went off late in the first half. Almost played as a striker for the latter stages of the game and scored a superb goal to give Dortmund the consolation in the 88th minute.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos (6/10)

Did a good job of dealing with Lewandowski in the early stages of the game. But was let down by his defensive partner as Dortmund conceded twice before he had to come off. The Greek was the victim of an ugly challenge by Kingsley Coman and had to go off just before half-time.

Omer Toprak (3/10)

The Turkish defender was caught napping far too often as Bayern toyed with Dortmund’s defense. Was culpable for all three goals as he gave away too much space. His positioning was poor and he simply does not fit the manager’s system. A lethargic performance by the 28-year old.

Marcel Schmelzer (4/10)

Was booked very early on and ended up having a nightmare of a game against Arjen Robben. Looked a shadow of his former self. Both of Bayern’s first half goals came from his side as Joshua Kimmich and Robben tormented him. Enjoyed better moments going forward. But Schmelzer has lost significant pace and needs to be dropped in favor of Raphaël Guerreiro.

Julian Weigl (4/10)

Peter Bosz’ handling of Weigl makes no sense. He is considered second choice to Nuri Sahin. And when he plays, he is forced to play out of position. That being said, Weigl looked out of touch against Bayern. His lack of physical presence was visible as Kingsley Coman out-muscled him in the build-up to the first goal. Weigl was unlucky for the second goal as he deflected Lewandowski’s flick into his own net.

Gonzalo Castro (4/10)

Another game, another disappointing Gonzalo Castro performance. Some of was poor once again. The only thing more shocking than his performances is that Peter Bosz continues to pick him week in, week out. Made some good passes, but some of his decision making was absolutely terrible. Missed from point blank range in second half stoppage time to make matters worse.

Shinji Kagawa (7/10)

One of Borussia Dortmund’s best players on the night, Kagawa was a constant threat to Bayern’s defense. Created some good opportunities for his teammates and also hit the post at the half hour mark. Quite a few eyebrows were raised when Peter Bosz decided to take him off instead of Castro in the second half. Showed that he is still valuable to the side.

Andriy Yarmolenko (3/10)

It’s fair to say that Yarmolenko was absolutely atrocious yesterday. The Ukrainian missed three golden opportunities. He was through on goal twice, but failed to beat Sven Ulreich. And early in the second half, he took the ball off Aubameyang’s feet to shoot straight at the defender when the latter would have been better positioned to score. His lack of defensive work-rate was also visible, especially in the third goal as Alaba’s cross-shot ended up in the net.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (4/10)

Another poor outing for the Gabonese international, who has now failed to score in his last five games. He seems to be totally out of form and confidence at the moment. Had two good chances but failed to capitalize. It’s very clear that he is not suited to Bosz’ system. Will not be surprised if he leaves in January.

Christian Pulisic (8/10)

The American international was Borussia Dortmund’s best player on the night and probably the only player who did not deserve to be on the losing team. He seemed to be on a mission to take Bayern’s defenders apart. And he succeeded more often than not. Some of his play was outstanding down the left flank. Should have had two assists. But he will have to take consolation with a nutmeg on Arjen Robben that helped Dortmund get their consolation. The kid has a really bright future.

Christian Pulisic: Completed 8 dribbles against Bayern Munich, more than any player in a Bundesliga match this season
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 4, 2017

Substitutes

Jeremy Toljan (6/10)

Was decent after coming on late in the first half for the injured Sokratis. Fared well against Kingslet Coman, which will give him confidence after his horror show against Leipzig. Was also a threat going forward.

Mario Gotze (6/10)

He was surprisingly left on the bench despite being Dortmund’s best performer in the past month. Came on with just 20 minutes to go and the game already over. But he still managed to put in a decent performance and linked up well with Pulisic down the left.

Jadon Sancho (N/R)

Was brought on with just ten minutes to go as Dortmund looked for a consolation goal. Showed some glimpses of his talent with his dribbling skills. Should have had his first assist for the club late on. But Gonzalo Castro missed from point blank range after a good low cross by the Englishman.

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