Wolfsburg 0-2 Borussia Dortmund: Key talking points from Bundesliga win

Defensive stability from Dortmund’s backline continues

It still feels strange to say this, but since the return of the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund’s last two defensive showings have been rather positive. With Lucien Favre opting for a back three, Hummels, Piszczek and Akanji have looked a solid back line the Black and Yellows can rely on.

With his performances this season being rather lackluster, all eyes have been on Manuel Akanji, and fans have once again been able to see the cool, calm and collected version of the player that initially saw him become such a success in Dortmund. While he has yet to be tested by a team of Bayern’s or Leipzig’s calibre, he has been able to marshal opposing players with relative ease, holding the likes of Wout Weghorst and Daniel Ginczek in this game.

An equally impressive performance came from the ever reliable veteran Łukasz Piszczek, who wore the captain’s armband in Marco Reus’ absence. Piszczek proved for the most part why Dortmund were so keen to keep him at the club for a while longer, with the former Polish international signing a one year contract extension this past week. Piszczek showed both his ability and the willpower to get physical with position players, often blocking off important passes to Wolfsburg’s attackers.

Mats Hummels also had a very solid, albeit short outing for his club. While on the pitch, Hummels won 100% of his duels against attackers, playing an immense role in keeping Wolfsburg quiet in the first half. His absence was noted in the second half when he was replaced by Emre Can, as Wolfsburg had quite a few more chances on goal, and Dortmund will hope that he can be fit for Tuesday’s game against Bayern.