FC Köln 3-2 Borussia Dortmund: Key Takeaways

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Donyell Malen in action against Köln (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images) /

Dortmund’s attacking wastefulness proves costly against FC Köln:

Over the course of the last decade, Borussia Dortmund have been rather proficient in terms of scoring goals. This Bundesliga campaign has seen the club falter in their ability to put the ball in the back of the net in shocking fashion.

When taking a look at the 8 Bundesliga games they have played this season, Borussia Dortmund have only managed to score 10 goals across these encounters. The reason for this, one can claim, is that Dortmund lack a world class forward up front to get on the end of chances. The sale of Erling Haaland to Manchester City has clearly had an effect on the club in terms of it’s scoring prowess.

When taking a look at the game against Köln, it’s clear that the team is creating chances. Dortmund managed a total of 22 shots, 8 of which were on target, and only one of which resulted in a goal. These numbers indicate that wastefulness when faced with opportunities was a rampant factor in this defeat.

The first player that comes to mind in this respect is Donyell Malen. Malen had a plethora of good chances, especially in the first half, where he either skied the ball or shot it too close to the keeper. The Dutch international is quite good at getting into threatening positions but needs to work on his finish going forward. Had Malen taken the chances he was given, the complexion of the game changes completely. In only scoring one, courtesy of an impressive move between Jude Bellingham and Julian Brandt, Dortmund allowed Köln the opportunity to come back into the game. They lacked the clinical nature to put thew game beyond Köln’s reach, which cost them dearly.

Of course, Malen alone was not what cost Dortmund the result. Once again, the presence of Anthony Modeste up top proved ineffectual as the player was not brought into the game by his teammates until late in the game with the introduction of Thorgan Hazard, who tried to put more crosses into the box for the Frenchman to feed off of. For the majority of the game, Modeste played up front with Malen and Karim Adeyemi out wide; both of which are not really known for crossing the ball into the box.

The calls for dropping Modeste to the bench have begun to come from beyond the club now, with former Bayern and Liverpool player Dietmar Hamann stating that the club is “playing with 10 men” when he is on the pitch. The fault may not all be with Modeste, but it’s clear that the club need to accept the fact that perhaps bringing in Modeste has not been the best decision considering neither party seems to be able to adapt to the other’s style of play. It may be time for Edin Terzić ands co. to eat crow and start Moukoko.