Niko Kovač demonstrated tactical versatility
Niko Kovač’s time in Dortmund has been mixed since his arrival, but in recent weeks, one thing has seemed to work, and that’s the 3-5-2 formation present in the wins over Mainz and Freiburg, as well as the draw last weekend against Bayern Münich. But last week in Barcelona, Kovač reverted to a traditional 4-2-3-1, and we were toasted.
One aspect of the front two that I’ve noticed is that the best pairing for this seems to be Maxi Beier and Karim Adeyemi, so where does that leave Serhou Guirassy, Dortmund’s leading goal-scorer? Today, Kovač implemented a 3-4-3, with Guirassy in the middle, and Beier and Adeyemi on either side. This gave Borussia Dortmund a very dangerous attacking system, which drew an early penalty through Szczesny’s tackle on Groß. At the same time, the constant pressure in the final third allowed Guirassy to do what he does best: score.
In addition, we saw a shifted midfield with Julian Brandt dropped to the bench in favor of a system without a ten. The change seemed to benefit both Groß and Svensson, while Yan Couto and Felix Nmecha were less impactful. The defense was also changed, with Emre Can ruled out. Waldemar Anton stepped into the center of defense, while Niklas Süle performed some of his best tackles this season. Ramy Bensebaini’s performance was only marred by his own goal, which was the game’s biggest momentum-killer. Otherwise, he played pretty well, even assisting a goal.