Bayern Munich 3-1 Borussia Dortmund: Key Takeaways

Julian Brandt and Dortmund’s attack applied positive pressure on Bayern

While the scoreline clearly indicates that Borussia Dortmund didn’t really put the ball in the back of the net the way they would’ve hoped to (barring Emre Can’s penalty), there was a healthy number of chances created by Dortmund’s frontline that indicates they were at least on the same wavelength as Bayern. Erling Haaland was being fed the ball rather regularly, and had three more than decent chances to score.

Borussia Dortmund also worked hard in transition to make life difficult for the Bavarians, with many turnovers leading to dangerous looking counter attacks. Julian Brandt had a much better day on the pitch and played a critical role in leading quite a few of these counters. Over the course of his Dortmund career, Brandt has been known for his propensity to lose possession, however in this game, the amount of times he recovered the ball from a loose Bayern pass was impeccable.

Brandt was also in the wars all along the right flank, tussling with Bayern players and working hard for his side, which is something that hasn’t always been a part of his game. He looked primed and ready to take the fight to Bayern, and its just unfortunate that his work-rate was not rewarded with a goal or assist.

Brandt’s performance wasn’t perfect, and his big blemish came in the 15th minute as he got caught ball watching before Bayern’s first goal. But he played a role in Dortmund winning the penalty, and looked dangerous on a number of occasions in the second half.

It remains to be seen whether Brandt will be able to perform at a high level consistently, but his performances over the last few games have been much improved. He has been rumored to be one of the names Dortmund could part ways with should a sizeable offer come in, but he himself has said he wants to stay and feels comfortable in Dortmund.

Should his performances continue to trend in this direction, Brandt may yet see himself become an integral part of the squad and hopefully live up to the potential that made him such an exciting acquisition in 2019.