Daniel Svensson (6/10) While it was great to see Svensson back, he didn’t perform spectacularly. Defensively, he was decent, but his passing was subpar.
Niklas Süle, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ramy Bensebaini, Jamie Gittens (N/A) – Süle looked incredibly shaky on the ball and mistake-prone, and Chukwuemeka did little to impress.
Niko Kovač (8/10) – This is a tough one to rate, but I think an ‘8’ is justified for two reasons. The first, is that Kovac was always planning this match with Guirassy in mind, so the sudden switch to a 3-4-1-2 was seemingly improvisational, but the change in system brought out the best in both Julian Brandt and Maxi Beier, who were able to exploit the space in front of Mainz’s defense. Dortmund has been far too predictable this season, and this match was the opposite of predictable. Secondly, this is a big win to achieve, even if it might not seem that way. This is Dortmund’s first win this year against a side ahead of them in the league table. Mainz had the momentum; Mainz was the in-form team. But Borussia Dortmund won and Niko Kovač deserves some credit. Qualifying for Europe still seems like a daunting task, but this win keeps hopes alive. At least for now.