Key Takeaways from Borussia Dortmund’s loss to Salzburg

Borussia Dortmund Has Become an Average Bundesliga Side

After two managerial hires within a span of six months, each with vastly different tactical approaches, Dortmund has morphed into an average team in the German top flight.

This was on display in a 1-2 defeat to RB Salzburg on Thursday night. BVB still possess good players, but they also employ several players who should have been shipped out the minute Jürgen Klopp left the club.

For this squad to be successful it needs a system. A system, a concept, a tactical philosophy, call it what you will, BVB currently lacks it. Peter Stöger would be best off at this point to simply let his players play “street football,” relying solely on their individual skills rather than precise instructions.

Having spoken with other Dortmund writers and supporters of the club, none of us, myself included, can really tell what Stöger’s instructions actually are. What does he expect from his players?

Peter Stöger said upon his appointment at Borussia Dortmund: “Even I cannot make this team play unattractive football.” Well Peter, actually, you have accomplished precisely that.

Dortmund Starts Playing Only After Being Punched First

This was the first defeat for Borussia Dortmund in the new year. BVB survived a rather easy schedule in January and February, but dropped points against inferior opponents on too many occasions.

Freiburg, Augsburg, Köln, and Atalanta all come to mind as having one thing in common: Dortmund didn’t appear to give maximum effort until they conceded or fell behind.

All of these teams also overcame deficits against the Black and Yellows. BVB apparently lacks a sense of urgency when the score is level or when playing with a lead.

This recent trend reared its ugly head again as Dortmund kicked things into high gear early in the second half after falling behind 0-1 thanks to a ridiculous and unnecessary Ömer Toprak foul.

Once BVB conceded a second goal they truly started to play inspired football, dominating the next 15 minutes of play, eventually cutting the Salzburg lead in half thanks to an André Schürrle strike.

This “trend” must be reversed if BVB are going to maintain their position in the league table. With a difficult upcoming schedule, that alone should motivate the team to play 90 minutes of inspired football.

Dortmund Are Very Predictable on Both Ends of the Pitch

Pass, pass, pass, pass to Bürki, pass upfield, pass to Schürrle, sprint down the wing, cross, defensive clearance. This is the quintessential BVB attacking sequence at this point in time.

Very little comes through the middle of the pitch offensively, and opposing defenses know exactly what to expect. This again derives from point #1 listed above: lack of concept.

The same goes for the defense. In the 40th minute as RB Salzburg should have taken the lead, it was the confusion and lack of movement/marking from the BVB back line that set up what appeared to be an easy shot on goal for the guests.

Thanks to Roman Bürki and a last gasp effort from Marcel Schmelzer, Dortmund was able to preserve a scoreless first half. Too many times this season, this has been the case for the often-criticized BVB defense.

Where there is smoke, there is fire. This back four, regardless of which combination of players is selected prior to the match, simply cannot seem to fix itself on a consistent basis.

The Next Four Weeks Will Define Dortmund’s Season

You are only as good as your most recent performance. Based on BVB’s most recent efforts both in the Bundesliga and in Europe, things are not looking very bright at the moment.

Upcoming for Dortmund is the portion of the schedule which saw Peter Bosz’s side fall from first to sixth place in the Bundesliga in a matter of a few weeks during the Hinrunde.

With return fixtures in Munich, Gelsenkirchen, and Salzburg sprinkled in between home clashes against Frankfurt and Leverkusen, we are about to find out what this Borussia Dortmund is truly made of.

Going strictly on talent, BVB could win all of those with the exception perhaps of the trip to the Allianz Arena. However, if “the trend is your friend” saying holds true, Stöger’s squad may be in trouble over the next few weeks.

These are the types of matches and schedule challenges that truly define a team. This is crunch time, as they say. The question remains whether Borussia Dortmund has it within themselves to rise to the occasion when it matters most. In six weeks, we will have a clear answer to that.