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The season so far: Borussia Dortmund’s mixed start to the new season raises old questions

By Brian Szlenk Straub

BERLIN, GERMANY - AUGUST 31: Mats Hummels, Marco Reus and Mahmoud Dahoud of Borussia Dortmund looks dejected during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on August 31, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY - AUGUST 31: Mats Hummels, Marco Reus and Mahmoud Dahoud of Borussia Dortmund looks dejected during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on August 31, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images) /
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BERLIN, GERMANY – AUGUST 31: Manuel Akanji of Borussia Dortmund and Sebastian Andersson of 1.FC Union Berlin during the Bundesliga match between 1 FC Union Berlin against Borussia Dortmund on August 31, 2019 at the Stadion An the Alten Foersterei in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by City-Press via Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY – AUGUST 31: Manuel Akanji of Borussia Dortmund and Sebastian Andersson of 1.FC Union Berlin during the Bundesliga match between 1 FC Union Berlin against Borussia Dortmund on August 31, 2019 at the Stadion An the Alten Foersterei in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by City-Press via Getty Images) /

Dortmund’s defensive woes and frailty at set pieces

Borussia Dortmund have long suffered from an extended bout of defensive frailty, and the most recent symptom has been their weakness at defending set pieces. Over the course of last season, teams found ways to cause trouble for Dortmund by scoring from corners, a trend that seems to be continuing into this season. Just this season alone, 3 out of the 5 goals Dortmund have given up have resulted from set piece scenario’s, a worrying trend for Favre’s zonal marking system, to  say the least.

Every time the ball is swung into the box, the back line seems to be frantic about clearing the ball, which inadvertently leads to poor clearances and chances for the opposition to take advantage of their sloppiness. Taking the first goal in the game against FC Union Berlin, for example, the ball is played low into the box and into the feet of the on-rushing Marius Bülter. Three Dortmund players react late, and Bülter gets a clean strike on the ball, catching the rest of the Dortmund defense cold and slotting past Roman Bürki almost uncontested. This has to be something Favre and his coaching staff are looking at when planning defensive exercises, so its hard to understand how they still haven’t figured out a way to be more alert in the box.

Individual mistakes at the back have also been costly for Dortmund already this season. In the first game against Augsburg alone, poor marking by Sancho and Lukasz Piszczek led to and easy goal for Augsburg, and while of course Dortmund came back to rally in this game, the fact that a team tipped to be in the relegation battle was able to take the Dortmund defense by such surprise is also frustrating. There were also clear mistakes in the game against Union Berlin that need addressing.

Manuel Akanji, who has established himself as one of Dortmund’s most reliable defenders, was surprisingly culpable in setting up Berlin’s second goal. An erring pass gifted yet another chance to Berlin, with the opponents managing to wrong foot both Piszczek and Akanji in the ensuing play. while the initial shot was saved tremendously by Roman Bürki, Dortmund’s shot stopper was unable to save the follow up shot drilled in once again by Marius Bülter who came into the box unmarked. Even the third goal, which saw Dortmund cut open in their own penalty area, was the result of lethargic marking, something that will have to change should Dortmund aim to challenge for the title.

While many have indicated that Dortmund’s loss to to Union Berlin will be a blueprint for teams at the bottom of the table to take advantage of in terms of shutting Dortmund’s game down, it will also be something for teams such as Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig to take advantage of as well, should Dortmund not fix their defensive frailties. Both Bayern and Leipzig possess players that are fantastic in the air, and these clubs could utilize Dortmund’s weakness at set pieces to great effect. In Robert Lewandowski, Bayern have a player capable of scoring clinical headers. Leipzig were also one of the more clinical teams in the air last season, and they will surely be taking note of Dortmund’s vulnerability going forward.

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