Player Ratings: Borussia Dortmund held to dramatic draw by Wolfsburg

Borussia Dortmund were held to a goalless draw by Wolfsburg in their first game back from the international break.

The Black and Yellows were without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was suspended for disciplinary reasons. Christian Pulisic also missed out with injury. While Jadon Sancho and Alexander Isak were named in a youthful starting lineup. Borussia Dortmund missed a host of big chances and they paid for them as Wolfsburg earned a credible draw away from home.

Here are the player ratings for Borussia Dortmund players from the game.

Roman Burki (8/10)

Burki came up with a massive save in the first half. His reaction to the small volley, that was headed surely to the back of the net,prevented Wolfsburg from scoring. In the second half, Burki was just as effective in keeping a clean sheet to start the year off strong. His stunning saves saved Dortmund from an unlikely defeat.

Lukasz Piszczek (7/10)

Piszczek is still a key piece of the defense for Dortmund. He made a great pairing with Yarmolenko, but he was looking winded towards the end of the first half. He provided great opportunities for Dortmund throughout. The crosses Piszczek provided often lead to nothing but does not take away from his ability on the pitch today. Piszczek will continue finding himself as the number 1 right-back for BVB. A strong return for the Polish international.

Jeremy Toljan (6/10)

Toljan had an effective first half. He was otherwise quiet. In the second half, Toljan turned up the heat for a little while. He partnered with Sancho often and even got a few crosses forward. His attempts are not for nothing as he is making good use of time as Schmelzer is out.

Sokratis (6/10)

Sokratis took the captain’s armband today and he had a great defensive presence. Although a nutmeg in the first half led to an opportunity for Wolfsburg, he also stuck tight to Origi. It led to a difficult first half for the visitors with Sokratis in form. Sokratis kept strong in the defense and even saw some offensive action on the day. The captain played wonderfully.

Omer Toprak (6/10)

Toprak has played better under Stöger than he did under Bosz. He has slotted in nicely with Sokratis and is showing consistently good defending. Toprak was always reactive to the play. He kept a strong presence with Sokratis defensively and placed a lot of pressure on the visitors. Toprak is starting the year off in good form.

Julian Weigl (7/10)

Weigl is showing great form for Borussia Dortmund. Stöger has a solid fifth defender in the backline with Weigl playing as good as he has been. Weigl maintained great midfield control in the second half gaining key possessions. He worked well with Sahin and Dahoud late in the game. Weigl is showing that he is back in form with Stöger leading the team as the coach.

Shinji Kagawa (7/10)

Kagawa had a great control in the midfield and moving the play up during the counter-attack. Kawaga moved into the right-wing position late into the game. If there was anything that the player could do, it was too late as he was gassed near the end. Reconfiguring himself into the midfield, Kagawa wasn’t able to help with a finishing touch at the end of the day. Kagawa will be hoping to add goals to his production during the second half of the season.

However, he created five chances for his teammates and he is fast becoming one of the most important players for the club.

Mario Gotze (8/10)

Gotze covered a lot of ground and provided a great cross to Isak in the first half. He was arguably Dortmund’s best player in the game, creating great chances for his teammates. He came off for Dahoud after 55 minutes. It was an impressive return for Gotze, he will look for more time as he continues his recovery from injury. Gotze has one of the best final touches on the team and could help Dahoud with his.

Alexander Isak (6/10)

Alexander Isak was looking to capitalize on his first league start for Dortmund. It was a shame that Aubameyang was missed so much on the pitch today. Isak is not as fast as Aubameyang and less experienced, but he did well in his opportunity to play. Isak needs to find his finishing touch the next time he is selected. One attempt from Gotze’s cross led to the ball bouncing off the frame of the goal, an opportunity he is surely sour on. He came off after 67 minutes for André Schurrle. Isak needs to improve his speed and agility, then he’ll show dangerous strikes.

Andriy Yarmolenko (4/10)

Yarmolenko had a horrible moment early on when he ran slowly off a counter-attack from Gotze and Sancho. The counter-attack ended abruptly and Yarmolenko’s day went from bad to worse from there. He linked up extremely well with Piszczek and there is a chance something special will develope with those two. Yet, his many misses eventually became inexcusable as he was substituted off at the 77th minute for Nuri Sahin. Yarmolenko missed so many chances that one can imagine the winger needs a replacement.

Jadon Sancho  (7/10)

Sancho got his first real opportunity at breaking into Borussia Dortmund’s first team as Christian Pulisic was out injured. Sancho has amazing speed, great tricks and a keen eye for the ball. He is a 17-year-old and he is still going to have room to improve as time goes on. Sancho had a few poor decisions and after playing the full 90 minutes, he was winded. But he showed why Borussia Dortmund signed him and put in an impressive display. Given time and chances, Sancho may prove to be invaluable to BVB.

More from BVB Buzz

• Paris Saint-Germain vs Borussia Dortmund: How to watch, live stream info and more
• Opinion: Borussia Dortmund’s win over Freiburg far more narrow than scoreline suggests
• Expected Borussia Dortmund lineup vs Paris Saint-Germain
• Bundesliga Roundup: Serhou Guirassy, Xavi Simons, Mats Hummels star on matchday four
• Paris Saint-Germain vs Borussia Dortmund: Team News, Preview

Substitutes

Mahmoud Dahoud (6/10)

Dahoud brought in good energy to the match when he came on for Gotze. Once again, Dahoud showed he needs to work on his final touch in the buildup. He was also carded for an incident which he was elbowed in the mouth and reacted poorly. Stöger is keen on the young midfielder and granted Stöger is still the head coach at BVB, Dahoud will get more play time.

André Schurrle (6/10)

Isak and Yarmolenko did not find the back of the net, and often Schurrle looked poised to be the one to lead Borussia Dortmund to victory. Schurrle was not able to do so at the end of the day, but that doesn’t take away from his performance. The former Chelsea winger needs more chances to play, and Watzke isn’t helping the World Cup winner’s confidence.

Nuri Sahin (5/10)

Sahin came on towards the end for the black and yellows. Sahin had an opportunity at goal when the Wolfsburg keeper ran far away from his posts. There was little to separate the attempt and the target, Sahin gave it a chance and missed. He played well for the time given, but there could be fewer chances for the former Turkey international as the season goes on.