Match Ratings: A Disappointing Loss Against Freiburg

This season continues to get even more frustrating with every game. It was yet another performance that failed to inspire any confidence in Borussia Dortmund’s ability to claw their back way out of this hole. It was yet another game in which the opponent were not vastly superior, and yet BVB didn’t really deserve the win. We’ve watched this same script play out over and over this season. It’s disappointing watching a team like Borussia Dortmund throw away games without being comprehensively outplayed by their opponent.

Here are our ratings from yesterday’s game...

Starting XI

Marwin Hitz

Paul: 3

Two games and two pretty significant game-changing errors. Hitz simply isn’t good enough. He’s fine as a backup, but not a lot more.

Zac: 3

Hitz’s failure to stop the second shot should have the Burki haters a little quieter when he returns from injury, but yesterday was another indictment of the goalkeeper situation for Borussia Dortmund; uncertain to say the least.

Sarah: 3

We had high, high hopes for Hitz, but they failed to materialize. Too many poor decisions on his part leave him lacking as a suitable back-up keeper let alone a contender for the starting position.

Mats Hummels

Paul: 5

Zac: 5

The standard Hummels performance we have come to expect. He was deployed as the right side CB to provide stability for an out of position Emre Can, which may have affected his ability to properly exert his influence on the game. He and Akanji seemed confused by the change. It was no tactical masterstroke by Terzic.

Sarah: 5

Manuel Akanji

Paul: 5

Zac: 4.5

Akanji clearly wasn’t comfortable playing on the left side of the center back pairing. He played a lot of errant back passes early in the game that put Hummels and Hitz in very tricky positions.

Sarah: 4

His issues with maintaining possession left the defensive line unnecessarily exposed.

Emre Can

Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Paul: 6

Can did a reasonably good job at right back, and coped well with shifting between that and center back, as needs must. Can deserves extra credit for being willing to step in and perform whenever and wherever needed this season. He’s a fantastic player in several different positions.

Zac: 7

An incredible utility man, Can delivered a strong performance out of position against some pacey attackers. I’m ready to see Can at winger or striker at this point, give him a shot.

Sarah: 7.5

I will admit I am likely being very generous here, but the Candyman delivered again particularly in a surprising position. His long rage shot was so deliciously close and he gave Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo a good fight throughout.

Raphael Guerreiro

Paul: 6

Zac: 6

Did Guerreiro things. I thought he defended a bit better yesterday than he has in the past two weeks while maintaining contributions to build up and attacking play.

Sarah: 5.5

Julian Brandt

Paul: 3

I’ve never been sold on Brandt in the pivot, because he doesn’t bring enough clout to help protect our already delicate defense. But he makes it infinitely harder when he also delivers some of the most ridiculous turnovers you could find anywhere in football.

Zac: 3

Unfortunately the only position where Brandt cannot turn over the ball is on the bench, which is why he keeps finding himself there.

Sarah: 3

Thomas Delaney

Paul: 4

Delaney wasn’t great yesterday, but I’m prepared to allow him some leeway. He has gone from riding the pine to playing more than 200 minutes in one week. That’s incredibly demanding as a central midfielder. No wonder he looked tired.

Zac: 4

Sarah: 3.5

A lackluster performance from Delaney and yes, perhaps he was tired after the midweek match. He did have to work hard at his defense early, which likely didn’t help, so it was right to sub him out after the 60th minute.

Marco Reus

Paul: 5

Zac: 4

We are still waiting for the performance where Reus storms back into form and reminds the football world of the powerhouse he can be as a playmaker and a finisher. I hope that day comes soon. Reus’s sloppy passes and lack of ideas are becoming the norm, something we need our captain to correct as he tries to lead the team.

Sarah: 3.5

I’m definitely not on the Reus bandwagon at the moment. He is capable of more and he knows what he needs to do, but he fails to deliver consistent, quality play. He is obviously frustrated and hopefully that frustration is directed at himself and his inability to lead this squad.

Gio Reyna

Paul: 4

Reyna hasn’t been able to find his early season form for a while now. He’s struggling. He probably needs a break, but with the squad stretched thin, he is unlikely to get one.

Zac: 3

Like Paul said, it is likely trial by fire for Gio Reyna until Thorgan Hazard is fit to return to the team. What once looked like a bloated attacking line feels a lot thinner without the Belgian.

Sarah: 3.5

Reyna is simply not ready to handle this amount of time on the pitch, but there are no other options. This puts him in a near impossible situation.

Jadon Sancho

Paul: 5

Zac: 6

Jadon Sancho’s lack of contribution yesterday was not for lack of trying. Sancho tried to take on players and weave his way into the box, unloading several deflected attempts on goal. While the timid and inaccurate Sancho of the Hindrunde seems to have said his goodbyes, it just did not fall for the England international yesterday.

Sarah: 5

A shadow of his performances of late, but he did what he could given Freiburg’s defense seemed to swarm him at every opportunity.

Erling Haaland

Paul: 6

Haaland was isolated for much of the game, but he didn’t do a whole lot wrong.

Zac: 5

Sarah: 5

Substitutes

Jude Bellingham

Paul: 5

Zac: 4

Better than Brandt.

Sarah: 5

He worked hard during his time, but it just wasn’t enough to make the difference needed for the team.

Mahmoud Dahoud

Paul: 6

I thought Dahoud was one of the better BVB players on the pitch, but then I thought that against Paderborn too, and he still can’t catch a start.

Zac: 6

Dahoud was dropped for getting frustrated over his minutes, and can you blame him? The current state of the midfield has shown that fresh ideas are needed, prompting the new trend #MoreMoMinutes.

Sarah: 6

Give us what we want already...Mo in the starting 11.

Youssoufa Moukoko

Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images

Paul: 7

Moukoko gave Borussia a faint chance of getting something out of the game, and was easily the most dangerous Dortmund player of all. That’s a terrible indictment of the team. They shouldn’t need a kid to kick-start things for the offense.

Zac: 7.5

I threw an extra 0.5 in for the circumstances of Moukoko’s performance. As Paul said, it is damning that the team needs a 16 year-old to kick start the offense, but Moukoko’s ability to rise to the occasion is more than commendable, its pretty astounding.

Sarah: 8

The boy deserves this rating if only for the fact that his performance elicited a reaction from me (I know I wasn’t the only one to suddenly start cheering and yelling at my TV). His impact on the team was evident too; he was somehow breathing life into a dead squad and achieving results!

Reinier

N/A

Overall

Paul: 3

Zac: 2

After another game where Dortmund were seemingly outclassed in effort and tactics, we as fans are left scratching our heads. This Dortmund team is full of extremely talented players that are sought after by a host of top European clubs. When are they going to get the job done together? The reasoning for Favre’s sacking was clear, but if it was not the management keeping this team from hitting their stride, what is? This question should weigh heavily on the mind of the players and have interim head coach Edin Terzic feeling his seat getting hotter and hotter.

Sarah: 2.5

I’m going to split the difference between Paul and Zac. It is baffling that a squad so rich with talent can turn in such abysmal performances. These players are experienced professionals and know what they need to do and they know how to be effective. It’s the execution and application of their skills and talent which are completely absent. Is Terzic underqualified for this role? Yes. At some point, the coach stops being the scapegoat and the players must be held accountable.

Your Thoughts?

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