BVB Buzz
Fansided

Key Takeaways from Borussia Dortmund’s narrow win over RB Leipzig

By Brian Szlenk Straub

LEIPZIG, GERMANY - JANUARY 19: Axel Witsel of Borussia Dortmund celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund at the Red Bull Arena on January 19, 2019 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund/Getty Images)
LEIPZIG, GERMANY - JANUARY 19: Axel Witsel of Borussia Dortmund celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund at the Red Bull Arena on January 19, 2019 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
LEIPZIG, GERMANY – JANUARY 19: Marco Reus of Dortmund on the bench during the first Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund at Red Bull Arena on January 19, 2019 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Karina Hessland-Wissel/Bongarts/Getty Images)
LEIPZIG, GERMANY – JANUARY 19: Marco Reus of Dortmund on the bench during the first Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund at Red Bull Arena on January 19, 2019 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Karina Hessland-Wissel/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

A win without Marco Reus

When I first heard Marco Reus was injured for this game, my heart leapt into my throat quite quickly, and an anxious feeling swept over me in a very familiar fashion. The words “injury” and “Marco Reus” have had a very unfortunate way of coming hand in hand in the last few seasons, and more often than not Dortmund’s performances have suffered without their captain on the field.

In a game as important as this, surely an injured Reus could only spell disaster for the team. In this regard, the Dortmund faithful were once again surprised, as while Reus’ absence surely left the team without one of their main attacking threats on the field, Borussia Dortmund managed the game perfectly, keeping control of the fixture for most of its duration. Dortmund maintained 70% possession in the first 20 minutes of the match, and throughout the game continued to find themselves with the ball for long spells at a time, the final possession stat indicating Borussia Dortmund had the ball 53% of the time.

Both Jadon Sancho and Raphaël Guerreiro rose to the occasion in terms of chance creation, with Guerreiro delivering some very decent crosses and Sancho continually frustrating Leipzig defenders with his footwork and pace. Favre’s tactics also saw Paco Alcacer on the bench until the later stages of the second half, which makes this win even more astounding. In essence, Dortmund managed to come away with all three points in a fixture that has traditionally proved problematic for them in the past without two of their top scorers on the field for most of the game.

This only highlights the belief and unity this squad possesses this season. They came in and got the job done, despite the odds being very much against them. Despite this, Borussia Dortmund fans will be hoping to see the club’s captain back on the field sooner rather than later. The prognosis has been a positive one, with Michael Zorc confirming the club’s talisman will be out no longer than two weeks. We can all relax now, disaster averted!

Home/Borussia Dortmund News