Borussia Dortmund: No More the Nice Guys?

Borussia Dortmund’s recent performances, and the arrival of Emre Can, suggest that the team is moving on from its ‘Nice Guys’ status.

Borussia Dortmund thumped Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday evening with a resounding 4-0 scoreline, surprisingly keeping a clean sheet against the resurgent Eagles. They then followed that up with a dominant display against Paris St. Germain in the Champions League, winning 2-1.

A little optimism is back in the hearts and minds of the Dortmund faithful after these two performances for winning the title and qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

We’ve seen this before from Dortmund, coming out of a slump and winning several matches in a row, only to fall back into another slump.

What has to change for Dortmund’s performances to stay consistent and, more importantly, to keep clean sheets?

New arrival Emre Can shed some light on the defensive issues last week by stating:

“We conceded goals too easily. I’ve only been here for a week but this team, which was [sic] enormous potential, has to learn one thing: to put it crudely, we have to play dirty sometimes and commit fouls if we have to.”

“Everyone has to defend together. We all have to get better defensively as a unit, from front to back.”

Can’s words are true. Dortmund over the years has developed a reputation for being a nice club. A club that plays beautiful attacking football and whose players are choirboys that wouldn’t hurt a fly. That type of attitude can cause, and in BVB’s case has often caused a break in concentration and focus when the going gets tough, leading to many players giving up throughout the match and letting the opposition score plenty of goals.

During the glorious 90s, BVB had several players who were well versed in the uglier parts of the beautiful game. Matthias Sammer, current advisor, was a no-nonsense hard man. Michael Zorc, current sporting director, was no saint himself. Andy Möller, midfield maestro, was a shrewd player who went down a little too easy in crucial moments. This easily reverberated through the rest of the team, where a hard-nosed, winning mentality led the team to two Bundesliga titles and the Champions League.

Currently, we have a few players who have a tough mentality and who are “hard” players. Can, Delaney, Hummels, and Witsel to name a few. However, the problem is that it is not infecting the rest of the team. It goes well for a few weeks or so, but then the mental collapse happens again. Luckily, we are on a small streak, including beating Paris Saint Germain, with a very much needed mature performance from the entire team.

Against both PSG and Eintracht Frankfurt, Can did all the dirty work, making necessary tackles, and even committing professional fouls to make sure that the Black and Yellows did not cede their advantage.

Borussia Dortmund were desperately missing that master of dark arts, who you hate when he plays for the opposition, but love when he plays for you. And in Emre Can, they have the perfect players to play that role, allowing the creative players to play their natural game. Axel Witsel’s performances in the last two games show Can’s immediate impact to the team.

Can has made four tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game in his two Bundesliga appearances so far, per WhoScored. He also made several crucial recoveries and wasn’t afraid to commit fouls for the team in the Champions League game against PSG.

Borussia Dortmund at this point have all the skills and players necessary to win major silverware this season. The mentality is what is holding them back at the moment. Success is in their own hands if the mind is right. I hope this time Dortmund will keep it consistent as the season is at stake.