Talking points from Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 win over Hoffenheim

Defensive Structure

After the 65th minute mark, Borussia Dortmund’s defensive transitions became extremely sloppy. The team depended on Kobel, Süle, Schlotterbeck, and Can to bail them out time and time again, while the rest of the players often forgot their defensive duties.

They became careless in possession and were less threatening as the game went on. The wingers were slow to track back to support the full-backs and the midfield pairing of Reus and Bellingham left no cover behind. The team completely abandoned the instructions to remain in a defensive block, as often as possible, and hoped the back three would get the job done when Hoffenheim countered.

In that last half hour of the game, BVB had essentially parked the bus on a number of occasions. This allowed the Hoffenheim players to approach the box and attempt to create scoring opportunities, seemingly with ease. Borussia Dortmund had begun to launch long balls to Sebastien Haller or Donyell Malen (after he came on) to relieve pressure but this was not sustainable as Hoffenheim were on the front foot. Terzic noticed this shift in the game’s momentum and brought on Salih Özcan to support Can in the midfield.

Although Borussia Dortmund managed to keep a clean sheet, this could be a major issue in the upcoming games as they prepare to face RB Leipzig and Chelsea. Both of these teams have very creative players who love to operate in between the lines, potentially exploiting a weak point in the BVB defence.