Borussia Dortmund stay perfect in the Bundesliga and make a first step into securing their spot in the knockout rounds.

Manager

Lucien Favre: 7

Favre rotated a bit after the comeback win in Leverkusen. Piszczek came in for Hakimi, Wolf started for the injured Pulisic and Alcacer got his first start. The first half was once again tough, especially Monaco’s high press gave Dortmund some problems. However except for a shot from outside the box they still didn’t get into any dangerous situations. A testament to Favre’s solid defensive system.

Favre got the substitutions right once again when he brought on Jacob Bruun Larsen for Marius Wolf. The team played significantly better in the second half and comfortably secured three points.

Starting XI

Roman Bürki: 8

Yet another very good performance from Bürki who kept a clean sheet and had a great save in the first half to deny Monaco the lead. He’s been one of Dortmund’s best players this season.

Abdou Diallo: 7

Diallo defended well but was a non-factor going forward which isn’t surprising considering that left back isn’t his natural position.

Manuel Akanji: 9 MOTM

Akanji was absolutely phenomenal and has been all season. The Swiss international won 82% of his duels and had a passer accuracy of 96%, that is outrageously good. It’s a bit odd to give MOTM to a defender in a 3-0 victory but Akanji just dominated on defense and led this defense through a tricky first half.

Dan-Axel Zagadou: 8

He’s 19 but play like veteran with 10 years experience. Solid on defense and calm on the ball during build up play, he’s gonna push Diallo for that starting spot at centerback.

Lukasz Piszczek: 5

This has been a recurring topic this season but Piszczek has clearly lost a step. Whenever Monaco launched a dangerous attack it was through his side of the pitch especially in the first half. He improved in the second half but it’s still a concerning trend.

Axel Witsel: 8

Just look at those stats:

Thomas Delaney: 5

Delaney worked a lot on defense and had to clean up a few times when Monaco looked to launch a counter attack. However he also had some misplaced passes himself that either led to a dangerous situation for Monaco or stopped BVB’s attack.

Jadon Sancho: 7

Another assist for his tally which is now at 6 for the season. Sancho still had a few sloppy plays where he either ran into a wall or just misplaced his passes, another opponent could have taken advantage but luckily Monaco’s counters didn’t amount to much. Nevertheless his presence on the pitch is still a net plus because he can make a difference at any moment like the assist for Bruun Larsen.

Marco Reus: 8

1 goal, 1 assist for the captain who continues to lead a very young attack. In addition Reus won a penalty that Alcacer ultimately missed but he’s continuing to build a report with Dortmund’s young wingers and seems very comfortable playing at the “10” position right now.

Marius Wolf: 4

Wolf had arguably BVB’s best chance in the first half but once again seemed like he did not fit into this side. His runs were ill-timed and just looked out of place in this offense. He got subbed off for Bruun Larsen at half time and will have to improve if he wants to get past BVB’s youngsters in the future.

Paco Alcacer: 7

A missed penalty didn’t really tarnish his performance. Dortmund’s offense is simply better with him, a real striker, in it and he continues to score. The Spaniard has now 4 goals in just three games a rate that he can’t possibly keep up but even without his goals his movement and passing are crucial for BVB’s attack.

Substitutes

Jacob Bruun Larsen: 8

Came of the bench at half time and provided an immediate spark with one goal and adding another assist. On both situations he showed just how good he can be. His run behind the defense during the first goal was great and the finish was clinical. The assist might have been even better, Bruun Larsen got past Monaco’s defender with a nice move and stayed calm to pass it to Reus who was wide open.

Julian Weigl: NR

Came in for Delaney in the 65th minute and helped calmed the game down a bit with his ball security and smart passes.

Maximilian Philipp: NR

Got subbed in late for Sancho and didn’t have a chance to show what he can do in his more natural position at right wing. He’ll probably get more chances in the coming weeks.