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

Axel Witsel (4/10)

Witsel completed 96.2% of his passes against Union Berlin, up by around 20% from Tuesday. And it is easy to see why. Unlike on Tuesday, Witsel always seemed to be looking for the easier pass which often slowed down the build-up play. He also struggled to cope with Union Berlin’s fast breaks.

Emre Can (4.5/10)

Can played with a lot more aggressiveness than Witsel. He looked to make things happen from midfield, but didn’t always pick out the right pass. He did make some vital defensive recoveries on counter-attacks. But he probably was the player tasked with marking Marvin Friedrich for the corner which led to the second goal. Of course, Can decided to make a run forward to follow Robin Knoche, leaving the Union Berlin free to head the ball into the net.

This was a game where having a creative midfielder like Dahoud or Brandt would have made more of a difference.