Alexander Isak’s Bayern cameo shows he has earned more time
Alexander Isak was criticized after missing a chance to equalize in the 92nd minute of Wednesday’s clash against Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal. Here’s why that criticism is unfair.
Borussia Dortmund played horribly for the majority match at the Allianz Arena against Bayern Munich. Their defense was timid and porous, and their play with the ball was passive for the majority of the match. But with around 20 minutes left in the match, being down 2-0, Dortmund started to get into a rhythm. They started to dominate possession and create real scoring opportunities. Andriy Yarmolenko pulled one back for the black and yellows in the 77th minute, and it seemed as though an unlikely Borussia Dortmund comeback could be on.
With two minutes left in regulation time, Peter Stöger subbed Alexander Isak into the game. It was a sensible move – Dortmund needed a goal and there was a striker on the bench.
Almost as soon as Isak entered the game, Dortmund had perhaps their best chance to equalize. Ömer Toprak played an incisive pass to Marcel Schmelzer on the edge of the penalty area, which forced Jerome Boateng to leave Isak alone in the penalty box and step to Schmelzer. The Dortmund captain then slipped the ball to the wide open Isak. The young striker’s first touch let him down just a little bit. Rather than rip a shot first time, he was forced to cut back on the recovering Bayern defenders to put a shot on target. The shot was blocked and slipped just wide of the post. Dortmund went on to lose the game and got knocked out of the cup in the third round.
Fans quickly vilified Isak as the reason for Dortmund’s loss, but the young striker should be getting praise, not criticism, for his performance.
Looking closely at the chance itself, not a lot of blame can really fall on the striker. Isak did well to wait for Boateng to step to Schmelzer, and even better to make sure he didn’t drift offsides. He slipped into the space vacated by the Bayern defender beautifully. Schmelzer’s pass to him was slightly under hit (the captain was off balance when passing to Isak), and the young Swede was forced to take an extra touch. Unfortunately, his shot went wide.
Strikers must show all round abilities
But being a striker isn’t just about putting away chances. It’s about being in the right position at the right time to create a scoring opportunity for your team. The fact that Isak couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net shouldn’t take away from the fact that he helped give his side the chance to score in the first place
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Despite being one of the highest scoring strikers in Europe, Isak’s teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is frequently criticized similarly for failing to convert scoring opportunities. He often flubs easy chances and one-on-ones with opposing keepers. Thankfully, Dortmund creates so many scoring opportunities for him that Auba still manages to be the second highest scorer in the Bundesliga.
The criticism against Aubameyang is generally justified. He’s one of the best strikers in the world and shouldn’t miss as many chances as he does. But complaints about his finishing often overlook the fact that Auba creates many of his opportunities himself. Sure, a brilliant pass from Shinji Kagawa or Julian Weigl puts him in a position to be in on goal. But his clever runs behind the opposition’s defense are critical to create the chances in the first place.
Isak’s a different type of striker than Aubameyang is, but the principle is the same: it’s not just goals that matter. Creating chances for the team is valuable too.
Isak was on the pitch for all of three minutes before creating Dortmund’s best chance to equalize. Isak created the chance, and he failed to convert it. That’s not the end of the world for an 18 year old kid going up against Bayern Munich. The takeaway should be the chance created, not the shot missed.