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Key talking points from Borussia Dortmund’s draw against Eintracht Frankfurt

By Brian Szlenk Straub

02 February 2019, Hessen, Frankfurt/M.: Soccer: Bundesliga, Eintracht Frankfurt - Borussia Dortmund, 20th matchday in the Commerzbank-Arena. Dortmund celebrates Marco Reus after 1:0. Photo: Thomas Frey/dpa - IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the requirements of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga or the DFB Deutscher Fußball-Bund, it is prohibited to use or have used photographs taken in the stadium and/or the match in the form of sequence images and/or video-like photo sequences. (Photo by Thomas Frey/picture alliance via Getty Images)
02 February 2019, Hessen, Frankfurt/M.: Soccer: Bundesliga, Eintracht Frankfurt - Borussia Dortmund, 20th matchday in the Commerzbank-Arena. Dortmund celebrates Marco Reus after 1:0. Photo: Thomas Frey/dpa - IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the requirements of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga or the DFB Deutscher Fußball-Bund, it is prohibited to use or have used photographs taken in the stadium and/or the match in the form of sequence images and/or video-like photo sequences. (Photo by Thomas Frey/picture alliance via Getty Images) /
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FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 02: Marco Reus of Dortmund gestures during the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund at Commerzbank-Arena on February 2, 2019 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 02: Marco Reus of Dortmund gestures during the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund at Commerzbank-Arena on February 2, 2019 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

Marco Reus Misfires

On any given day, one of the hardest things for any Dortmund fan is leveling criticism at our captain and star player, Marco Reus. Reus has been stellar this season, chipping in with no less than 13 goals and 6 assists for the club in the Bundesliga, which leaves him sitting right below Luka Jovic in the race for top scorer. He has been one of the pivotal figures in leading the team into the position they are in today, atop the Bundesliga and 7 points above Bayern Munich. He even scored the opening goal against Frankfurt, the end product of delicious play between himself and Raphael Guerreiro in the first half,  and is the reason why we walked away with a point in this game in the first place.

That being said, however, Reus could have been the reason we walked away with 3 points instead of 1 at the end of the match day. The first half saw Reus miss two very good chances on goal that would have put Dortmund up 2-0, or even 3-0, which would have changed the entire complexion of the game.

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The first of these came in the 23rd minute, when a defensive error allowed Reus to get into the box and have a shot which went just wide of the left post. The second chance would come just two minutes later with Reus starting a scintillating counter attack with the help of Jadon Sancho. Sancho would send a pass into the box for Axel Witsel, who would then lay it off towards Paco Alcacer. Alcacer would then read the play intelligently, leaving the ball for an onrushing Reus who let rip. His shot came agonizingly close to going in just under the bar.

Both these situations described were fantastic bits of play made possible by Reus’ cunning, awareness and positioning, which all give credit to his sensational football acumen and IQ, but in these moments the final product was not as sensational as the move that led to it.

Now, it can be said that just like any footballer, Reus can have a bad day. Up until now he has propelled this Dortmund team to new heights with his displays and I’m sure that the goals, assists, and Rolls Reus magic will continue to flow in a positive vein until the very last match day, but its hard to ignore the fact that this isn’t the first time this has happened. Throughout the season, Reus has been missing clear cut opportunities that could have seen him far surpassing both Jovic and Lewandowski in the top scorer charts. During the game, it was indicated that Reus has missed 11 clear cut chances this season. Now it cannot be expected that a player gets all of these chances on target, but Reus certainly could have finished off a fair few of these, including the two against Frankfurt.

While this statistic may seem glaring as first, it should not be taken to heart as something that will hamper Dortmund’s season. As I’ve stated, Reus has been pivotal for Die Schwarzgelben, producing scintillating displays and will certainly continue to do so every time he steps out onto the pitch. Dortmund thankfully do not have to rely solely on their captain as goals have come from all parts of the pitch this season, with 17 players having put the ball in the back of the net up until this point.

The draw against Frankfurt is still a positive result that has seen Dortmund extend their lead to 7 points over Bayern, with the Bavarians suffering defeat at the hands of former Dortmund manager Peter Bosz and Bayer Leverkusen.

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