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Borussia Dortmund turn in another embarrassing display in 2-1 loss to Union Berlin

By Austin Weldon

Dortmund's Swiss defender Manuel Akanji (R) reacts after a goal by Union Berlin during the German first division Bundesliga football match Union Berlin v Borussia Dortmund in Berlin on December 18, 2020. - Union Berlin defeated Dortmund 2-1. (Photo by ANNEGRET HILSE / POOL / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by ANNEGRET HILSE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Dortmund's Swiss defender Manuel Akanji (R) reacts after a goal by Union Berlin during the German first division Bundesliga football match Union Berlin v Borussia Dortmund in Berlin on December 18, 2020. - Union Berlin defeated Dortmund 2-1. (Photo by ANNEGRET HILSE / POOL / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by ANNEGRET HILSE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Borussia Dortmund dropped points in the Bundesliga yet again, this time suffering a 2-1 defeat away to Union Berlin.

Borussia Dortmund failed to build on their win over Werder Bremen, as two goals from two corners allowed Union Berlin to get all three points on Friday evening. The worst part about the loss is that there is absolutely nothing new about this result and performance. Defending set pieces has been an issue for more than 18 months now, yet Dortmund keep conceding the same type of goals.

Youssoufa Moukoko scored his first senior goal for Borussia Dortmund (Photo by Annegret Hilse – Pool/Getty Images)
Youssoufa Moukoko scored his first senior goal for Borussia Dortmund (Photo by Annegret Hilse – Pool/Getty Images) /

The lone bright spot from the game was that Youssoufa Moukoko made Bundesliga history, becoming the youngest goal-scorer in the league at 16 years and 28 days. And it was an exceptional strike too. Moukoko made a run in behind the Union defence and smashed the ball into the net with an excellent first time finish.

Unfortunately, it was all in vain as Borussia Dortmund yet again conceded two goals off of set pieces. One very similar to the two goals given up off corners against Koln and the other a free header for the completely unmarked Marvin Friedrich in the middle of the 18 yard box.

At the moment, Borussia Dortmund have the best squad they have had in the last decade, looking at talent and depth. Yet game after game they come out playing tentative, laboured and dull football. And in what has become routine for Dortmund is they don’t actually start playing with purpose until they concede the first goal. This isn’t to say every game is like this, obviously this is compounded because of the terrible form the majority of the attacking players are currently in. But regardless it is true at the moment.

The biggest source of Dortmund’s abysmal form is the injury to Erling Haaland. Yes, Haaland is exceptional and can absolutely carry the team in games, but it is not acceptable for a team of Dortmund’s calibre to have absolutely no back up plan or ability to execute without one player. It’s a massive loss, but losing one player can’t result in your entire team collapsing offensively and defensively.

At this point it looks increasingly likely that Borussia Dortmund aren’t challenging for the Bundesliga title this season. The focus for the rest of the season needs to shift to securing Champions League football for next season, which isn’t a given at this point.

dark. Next. Borussia Dortmund player ratings from 2-1 defeat to Union Berlin

Even further than that, they need to get away from focusing on the table and results and taking it game by game. Dortmund are now out of the top four spots going into the New Year, a gloomy scenario considering they were expected to push Bayern all the way this season.

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