Player Ratings: Borussia Dortmund 5-1 VFL Wolfsburg

6 goals three in a row would have been nice, but 5-1 is hardly a scoreline to complain about. Here are today’s player ratings:

I generally follow the FIFA video game style of ratings, where 6 is average. MOTM gets a 10.

Bürki 9: Man of the match from roughly 30’ to 55’. He held strong when Dortmund’s defense was shaky, and bailed his teammates multiples times with numerous big saves, including a HUGE goal line stop that kept Wolfsburg out of the match.

Piszczek 7: Pisz was pretty shaky along the right hand side, had a couple of turnovers, and was pressed off the ball multiple times. I’d rate him lower, but he scored his first goal since 2013, so it wasn’t all bad from Lukasz. A well deserved goal from the man who’s put in a lot of effort for this club over the years.

Bartra 8: Only played for 20 minutes before coming off due to injury, but was stellar when he was on. His assist to Guerreiro for the opening goal was Hummels-esque, and Dortmund definitely looked a lot weaker on defense once he came out.

Sokratis 7: Was reliable when he needed to be. He didn’t do anything particularly flashy, but held his own.

Schmelzer 7.5: Did a good job of getting involved high up the pitch. Even though he did get caught out of position a few times, his performance today was excellant. He pressed well, forced turnovers, tackled well, and in general did everything a defensive full-back should do.

Weigl 6: There were portions of the game where Weigl was completely isolated, and Wolfsburg’s midfield bossed; this was true particularly in the final 10 minutes of the first half. He made some pretty poor turnovers, but also made some nice defensive plays. I’d like to see more from him in the future.

Götze 7: Didn’t really do a lot when he was on the pitch. He had some chances, but overall a pretty quiet performance from Mario. Subbed off for Rode after 65’.

Guerreiro 9: The hype train keeps rolling, my friends. If he can continue his current form, we’ll be saying “Ilkay who?” sooner rather than later. Had a goal and (I believe) two assists, and created many other chances that almost turned into goals. Like I said above, the midfield was a little swarmed just before the half, but other than that it was smooth sailing for Rapha.

Dembélé 7.5: Congrats Ousmane, for your first goal! Even if it was just a tap in, the youngster’s first Bundesliga goal is a huge milestone, and hopefully more will follow. He was okay during the first half, but I think he really showed his offensive prowess in the second half, when he, Castro, and Aubameyang led several brilliant counterattacks.

Pulisic 6: I love you Christian, but you were pretty unremarkable today. He was getting shut down pretty well along the right side.

Aubameyang 10: I leaned towards giving Guerreiro MOTM, but Auba showed today why he’s considered one of the most dangerous strikers in Europe. His first goal was pure class.

Ginter 5: Not the best day for young Matthias. He had multiple turnovers, was caught out of possession frequently, and in general didn’t look confident when marking his opponents. Maybe I’m being harsh on him, but in my opinion he showed tonight why we need Sven Bender and Marc Bartra to get healthy.

Castro 9: Castro came on at the half for Pulisic and his impact was immediate. He assisted twice, and almost set up a couple other chances. He proved that he can still be a valuable member of this team.

Rode 6: Honestly I really didn’t even realize that Rode played in the second half. Wolfsburg were pretty much deflated by the time he came on, so he didn’t have to do much defensively.