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Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Bayern Munich: Three takeaways from Der Klassiker defeat

By Adam Bakr

DORTMUND, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 07: Leroy Sane of Muenchen celebrates his team's third goal during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Muenchen at Signal Iduna Park on November 07, 2020 in Dortmund, Germany. Sporting stadiums around Germany remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Friedemann Vogel - Pool/Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 07: Leroy Sane of Muenchen celebrates his team's third goal during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Muenchen at Signal Iduna Park on November 07, 2020 in Dortmund, Germany. Sporting stadiums around Germany remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Friedemann Vogel - Pool/Getty Images) /
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Bouna Sarr had a rough time on the pitch but Dortmund failed to take advantage (Photo by MARTIN MEISSNER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Bouna Sarr had a rough time on the pitch but Dortmund failed to take advantage (Photo by MARTIN MEISSNER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Failure to take advantage of Bayern’s weak links

The Bayern line up obviously had plenty of strong performers, but there were also spots for Borussia Dortmund to take advantage of. The big one was Bouna Sarr at right-back with Benjamin Pavard out of the game.

This lined up perfectly for Dortmund. Hernandez at left back is Bayern’s better defender between the two, and Guerreiro is Dortmund’s better option in attack between him and Meunier. Despite the favorable matchups, Meunier had more of the ball than Guerreiro, leading the team with 91 touches. Guerreiro was close with 88, but forcing the issue and seeing the touches be lopsided in the Portuguese international favour could have greatly benefitted the team.

He had two assists and probably should have had a third. He played eight key passes and was Dortmund’s best player on the night. Giving him more time on the ball would have only benefitted the side.

Playing Gio Reyna on the left wing proved to be another bad decision. The 17 year old looked overwhelmed by the occasion, and failed to take advantage of Sarr’s erroneous display.

The next potential advantage was Joshua Kimmich going off injured. Corentin Tolisso is not a bad player by any means, but he is not as defensively sound as Kimmich. While Dortmund definitely looked better after Kimmich came off, they weren’t able to create as much as they’d have liked, with Witsel and Delaney too slow and passive to take advantage of the influential midfielder’s absence. A more proactive coach would have sent Mahmoud Dahoud on at half-time, instead the in-form midfielder had to warm the bench all game.

The final one was Javi Martinez’s introduction. Considering Bayern’s high line and Dortmund’s eagerness to get in behind, a slower defender taking the field should have given the home side a better chance to do so. They showed the potential for danger with Guerreiro’s great chipped ball for Haaland’s goal, but it was not enough in the end. There simply wasn’t enough urgency in the final ten minutes, and that certainly hurt the team.

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