Four takeaways as Borussia Dortmund advance in the Europa League
By Oliver Campo
Borussia Dortmund’s blushes were spared after a late Marcel Schmelzer goal saw them go through to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League.
Atalanta dominated the game and it looked like Borussia Dortmund were set for an early exit from the Europa League, before Marcel Schmelzer tapped home to give Dortmund a 4-3 win on aggregate. Here are four things we learned from the game.
Shinji Kagawa and Julian Weigl make up the heart of the midfield
With Kagawa injured and Weigl suspended, Borussia Dortmund went in with a makeshift midfield of Nuri Sahin and Mo Dahoud. Gonzalo Castro has also been used in recent games by Peter Stoger. And all three have struggled to make an impact or dominate games for Dortmund. The lack of chances created as well as the lack of defensive cover make it hard for Borussia Dortmund to dominate games.
Dahoud is capable of a better season next year, but Sahin and Castro are different stories. Stöger can’t afford to not increase squad depth if he is still the head coach next season. One can only hope Kagawa makes a speedy recovery and Weigl controls how “evil” he becomes.
Borussia Dortmund need a new goalkeeper next summer
Plenty of fans are beyond disappointed with Roman Burki by this point. His run of form this year is poor in nearly all competitions. The Switzerland International is difficult to trust in-goal and Borussia Dortmund is not investing in a replacement. Overall with the club, he has let in 126 goals in 116 matches and a total of 43 shutouts per Transfermarkt.
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In comparison to the previous long-standing keeper Roman Weidenfeller, the stats are bad. Despite a superb man of the match display on Sunday, Burki was at fault once again for Atalanta’s goal. Dortmund have failed to keep a clean sheet in Europe this season, where Burki has put in some horrendous displays. Frankly, there is no reason BVB shouldn’t seek a replacement in the summer.
Defensive woes are not over for Borussia Dortmund
At 26 minutes into the match, BVB barely avoided being 2-0 down on the night. The defense stood still while Atalanta crossed an easy ball into the box. Burki came up lucky while the ball whisked wide off the header. This shoddy defending is common when a team is not on the same page (imagine a pickup soccer match you may take part in). It is surprising to come from a top-tier team.
Throughout the game, Atalanta caused Borussia Dortmund problems, which they found so hard to deal with. Unnecessary errors by the Dortmund defenders did not help.
The options for defensive squad rotation are not ideal for BVB either. Stöger needs to consider recalling Felix Passlack from the loan. Lukasz Piszczek is putting into a lot of time on the pitch, yet even he will need rest at some point. While Jeremy Toljan is having a nightmarish time at left back. Luckily for Dortmund, Marcel Schmelzer is back from injury.
Dortmund score late…again
Nearly all the games under Peter Stöger have involved a goal in the last 10 minutes of regular play or in stoppage time. The case was similar with the result against Atalanta, as Marcel Schmelzer scored the game-winner in the 83rd minute.
While Borussia Dortmund did not look like scoring in the first 80 minutes, they turned the tide and scored out of nowhere. Dortmund seem to be doing just enough at the moment to get the results, despite some scrappy displays. And while we all love a late goal, it would be better if they could just stop relying on lucky breaks.