TSG Hoffenheim 2-3 Borussia Dortmund: Key Takeaways

Donyell Malen bags a hat-trick of assists as Dortmund display their ability to press effectively

While the defensive end of Dortmund’s game continued to languish, the offensive end flourished and showed a level of ferocity that most would expect to be a weekly occurrence. Donyell Malen in particular seemed to be in quite the mood, with the Dutch international pitching in with 3 assists that one can say culminate to the best performance he’s had so far in in a BVB shirt.

Malen’s play was incisive and, for the most part, on the same wavelength as his teammates, which is something that we’ve seen the Dutchman struggle with so far this season.

Borussia Dortmund’s first goal in particular was a prime example of Malen looking both sharp and integrated, as he worked well in the tight spaces in and around Hoffenheim’s box, playing smart passes at a quick tempo and then manoeuvring into the position to assist Haaland as if he’d been at the club for years. These assists will further cement Malen’s growing confidence and hopefully have him perform similarly in coming games.

Malen wasn’t the only player to play a role in these goals taking place. The overall pressing and counter-pressing Dortmund displayed as a team at times was what helped create the situations in which Malen was able to work his magic.

Particularly in the first half hour, I felt that Dortmund put a lot of emphasis on pinning Hoffenheim back by either winning the ball high up the pitch or circulating it in a way that made life difficult for Hoffenheim. Both the speed of the passes and the way Dortmund hunted that crucial turnover in play to put the counter in motion were very efficient, which makes me wonder why this energy and commitment isn’t a more common occurrence.