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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: Marco Reus looks dejected after the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund at Stadion An der Alten Foersterei on August 31, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Bongarts/Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY – AUGUST 31: Marco Reus looks dejected after the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund at Stadion An der Alten Foersterei on August 31, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

The inability to break down teams that sit deep is still prevalent

In tandem with the inability to defend as cohesively as their talented roster suggests they should be able to do, Borussia Dortmund’s attack once again had trouble breaking down a team that sat deep against them, not allowing for many channels or passes for their more creative and smooth operators to work their magic. In the first half of the game against Union Berlin, this was less visible as Dortmund created a plethora of chances, but the pressure under which the Berlin defense put the likes of Reus and Alcacer under made it difficult for Dortmund most clinical players to take advantage of the opportunities they were presented with.

Then, when Berlin decided to really turn the screw, the attack became completely destabilized, and this was exemplified especially in the change in Julian Brandt’s game. In the first half, Brandt created a multitude of chances and turned his marker(s) on multiple occasions to run into opportunistic channels and play key passes.

The second half saw Dortmund’s talented midfielder become the target of interceptions and turnovers, which I believe was due to how sharp Berlin were in comparison to Dortmund. As many others have already said this week, Dortmund seemed second to the ball on multiple occasions, and seemed bereft of ideas come the 70th minute.

Dortmund have proven in the past that they can indeed unlock defenses that sit deep, and the game against 1. FC Köln last weekend was a great example of this. Sancho’s brilliance propelled Dortmund to victory in the game against Köln, but that brilliance and creativity seemed to almost go entirely missing in the second half of this match, and that is something that Dortmund cannot allow to happen.

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