Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel: “It is difficult to perform over 90 minutes every three days”

Borussia Dortmund’s roller-coaster start to the season continued this past weekend with the club facing defeat at the hands of Union Berlin on the road. Two goals in the first half by Union were answered by Norwegian international Julian Ryerson but it wasn't enough for Dortmund to take any points from the match.

After the game’s conclusion, Swiss international Gregor Kobel gave an interview where he defended his team’s performance but also highlighted the difficulty of having to play games every three days:

"We didn't play a bad game. Union also did very well, in the second half we put a lot of pressure…We play every three days. We go to bed late, we travel a lot. You're tired. It is difficult for you to perform over 90 minutes every three days. As a top team, you still have to achieve good results."

- Gregor Kobel

Kobel’s words were met with outrage on social media, with many decrying his words as nonsensical. The issue that Kobel is broaching however is one that many players and coaches have already spoken about in previous weeks, namely the cluttered game schedule professional footballers are now faced with. While not as extreme as perhaps what teams playing in the Premier League are faced with, the change in Champions League format has made it so that players do indeed have less time in between games for recovery, and it’s natural to see that have an effect on performances.

The issue with Kobel’s words seems to lie with the nature of the performance being highlighted as “good”, which most spectators would agree that it was not. The individual mistakes and decision-making that led to Union’s goals were well below the standard we know these players can play at and therefore categorizes the game as sub-par.

That being said, it’s clear that Kobel himself realizes that the performance against Union needed to be better, even if perhaps in his mind it was seemingly “not bad”, and he’s very much right in this respect. Whilst Union hovered above relegation last season as so many are quick to point out, Union currently sit sixth in the standings, a stark contrast to this relegation discourse that has been used as a way to bemoan this Dortmund squad and deride Kobel’s comments.

The reason for this is plain and simple: Union Berlin, while being below Dortmund overall in terms of quality, is still a team able to inflict damage on opponents. Their place in the table reflects results not just against Dortmund but also against other opposition within the league, therefore signaling a vast improvement in terms of form on their end.

While it’s understandable why Kobel’s comments could have caused somewhat of a stir, the overall gist of what he’s trying to say isn’t necessarily wrong, as Union themselves have been able to show a level of of play that makes them a competent opponent. Dortmund, seemingly aware of this, simply need to lock in and bring to the fore the clear talent in the squad, as well as adjust to Nuri Şahin’s tactics, something that was always going to come with growing pains.