What we learned from Borussia Dortmund’s dominant derby win over Schalke
Hummels, Akanji star on both ends of the pitch
In terms of Borussia Dortmund’s backline over recent seasons, positive defensive displays have often been inconsistent, which leads, at least myself, to feel the need to highlight them anytime they occur. This was one of those particular displays, and thankfully, they’ve been slowly becoming much more common.
After the game against Lazio, Dortmund’s defensive frailties and lack of depth in the centre-back position were once again highlighted to a point where, it was easy to see why many were slightly worried ahead of the derby.
The team was lining up with a former right-back (Lukasz Piszczek), Mats Hummels, and a defensive midfielder (Thomas Delaney) during the week, with Hummels being the only natural centre-back fit. With the likes of Akanji, Can and Zagadou all unavailable for various reasons, Dortmund had to get “creative”, which didn’t work out all that well for them. It was a game that raised questions and concerns regarding some of Dortmund’s transfer decisions this summer.
Luckily for Dortmund, however, the team saw the return of Manuel Akanji come to fruition after the defender tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago. Akanji’s return was a necessary boost in terms of squad depth, and proved to be a pivotal one in terms of defensive stability. Dortmund returned to a back 4 formation for the game and despite the lack of time he has had on the pitch, Akanji had a very impressive game, marshaling the defence alongside Mats Hummels in a very confident fashion.
Despite the lack of goals Schalke have scored in the league, the Revierderby has a nature of its own where almost anything can happen, as history has shown. It is a game that has much more pressure associated with it, especially this season on Dortmund’s end because a win was crucial to keep pace with both Bayern and Leipzig at the top. Akanji did not let this pressure get to him and struck a composed figure on the pitch, a stark difference from some of the less confident inspiring performances we saw last season. He kept pace with the oppositions attackers well and made smart passes from the back, one of which was a very Hummels-esque long ball to Brandt in the box which propelled one of Dortmund’s attacks forward nicely.
On the offensive end of proceedings, it was also Akanji who opened the scoring for Dortmund. What’s more, it was a goal that came from a particularly well worked corner, which was very nice to see. In the 54th minute, Raphaël Guerreiro opted to play the corner short. A quick one-two with Brandt in the box, accented by a sublime flick from the playmaker led to a shot from Rapha, which was parried, only for Akanji to slot home. Coming back from the sidelines after a bout with COVID, one could do worse than scoring in the Revierderby and keeping a clean sheet.
For his part, Mats Hummels also played a very good game striking an imposing figure in defence, and he too ended up on the scoresheet, slotting home Dortmund’s third goal from yet another corner; the perfect corner at that. A solid header that followed yet another well worked corner from Rapha. This time, Dortmund’s Portuguese international opted for a more direct cross and found Hummels expertly, who slotted past the Schalke keeper with a powerful header. I hope the ability Dortmund showed with set pieces in this game is something that becomes more of a trend.