Borussia Dortmund silence Wolfsburg: What we learned from 1-0 win
By Eli Brand
Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 win at home to Wolfsburg may not jump off the page; but with multiple changes to the team, it showed the flexibility of Edin Terzic and his side.
The Black and Yellows shone defensively and were arguably unlucky not to score more goals. Salih Özcan saw his first meaningful minutes of the season, while Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Niclas Füllkrug also enjoyed their first starts of the campaign.
After a slow start, Borussia Dortmund’s attacking catalyst, Donyell Malen came on and helped the side find the opener with Julian Brandt assisting Marco Reus. But the most important difference for BVB was a win that felt safe despite the scoreline, with Wolfsburg failing to do much of anything in the penalty area.
Here are three things we learned from Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 win over Wolfsburg.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens has made a physical jump forward
One of several young wingers at Borussia Dortmund, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens was an inconsistent yet game-changing super sub when he was fit last season. He looked a step slower last season playing against fresh legs and struggled both at beating his man and in defence.
But Bynoe-Gittens delivered a much more mature and well-rounded performance against Wolfsburg, even if he failed to help his side find the breakthrough. The difference defensively was apparent from the jump as he blocked a pass in the opening exchanges.
He also utilised his rapid acceleration to great effect, while showing an ability to invert and play one-twos, get to the byline, cut inside into the box on his own, and take players on.
With Karim Adeyemi’s struggles this season, Bynoe-Gittens has shown that he is capable of stepping up and competing for regular minutes. White he is still very young and could see inconsistencies pop up, the 19 year old has created a good problem for Terzic by showing he deserves a place in the team.