Match Ratings: BVB Snatch a Point at the Death against Bayern

Well, well, well... that was unexpected.

It takes a team effort to beat Bayern Munich, and while they may not have beaten them on Saturday, Borussia Dortmund put in a shift and a half to come back from a 2-0 deficit and steal a point from their Bavarian foes.

As exciting as the game was, it was not all sunshine and roses for BVB. It was a game characterized just as much by horrible mistakes as it was moments of sheer brilliance. Almost every player had a major impact on the game, either positively or negatively. Let’s break it down:

Starting XI

Alexander Meyer

Sean: 4

This might seem unusually high, but I really don’t think many keepers would have been able to stop Leon Goretzka’s goal. It was shot through a tangle of legs and was placed almost perfectly. By the time Meyer saw the shot, he had almost no chance to stop it. Leroy Sané’s goal is a different story, but at the end of the day that’s only one mistake. He also made a huge save on Jamal Musiala to keep the game close in the second half.

Yash: 5.5

Devil’s advocate here: Meyer actually wasn’t bad. Had no chance with the first, and did brilliantly to stop Sané and then Musiala from adding a third. Sané’s goal is an interesting one: it was a powerful and well-placed shot from about 20 yards out that had some real movement on it, and I think Meyer did well to get a hand to it. Did I hope he’d do better than he did? Yes. Could I reasonably expect him to? I don’t think so.

Anders: 5

Meyer probably could have gotten a hand on the first goal, but Goretzka’s shot for the second was difficult stuff. He did have some decent saves too, and for that I’ll give him credit.

Niklas Süle

Sean: 7

I thought he was great as a right back and great as a center back. He had one moment where he let Sané run across the front of goal and win a header uncontested, but thankfully when the ball floated to Sadio Mané, the striker headed the ball harmlessly wide.

Yash: 6.5

A good solid game from the big man, but he won’t want to see that Sané goal again. Beaten a little too easily for my liking.

Anders: 7

I very much liked what I saw from Big Fridge Süle today. He kept his side quiet for the most part, and that’s honestly not easy when you’re playing against Mané and Davies.

Mats Hummels

Sean: 7

I thought he was great, but unfortunately his time at center back was cut short. He only played 45 minutes because he was just returning from an illness.

Yash: 7

Nico Schlotterbeck

Sean: 8

Put aside his incredible effort at the end of the game to assist, he was great on the back line as well. Bayern struggled to create any major chances from close range, and Schlotterbeck was a big reason for this.

Yash: 7

His determination to keep the ball in and composure to float it to Tony at the back post was *chef’s kiss*. A good game otherwise as well. Let’s hope the mini-slump is behind him.

Anders: 8

Man of the match for me. Very disciplined in defense, and delivered the assist for that goal. I think we can all agree that some players would have given up on keeping that ball in, but Schlotti fought hard to keep it in and showed an insurmountable amount of composure to find the right solution.

Raphael Guerreiro

Sean: 6

Much of BVB’s progression in the first half came up the left side, and Guerreiro was a big reason for that.

Yash: 6.5

Anders: 5

Did alright combining down the left hand side, but had a hard time creating anything meaningful. Almost caught Neuer off guard with one of his trademark 0.1 xG shots.

Jude Bellingham

Sean: 7

Bellingham wasn’t necessarily a standout, but he did a great job doing the dirty work in midfield ensuring Bayern couldn’t move the ball easily through the center of the pitch.

Yash: 7

Anders: 6

While I agree that Bellingham played a big part in keeping the midfield tight, I think he had a pretty sloppy first half. Got himself carded early on, and could have had a red on another day.

Emre Can

Sean: 6

Yash: 7.5

Emre had a really, really good game today. At the centre of the midfield three, his defensive work was top-notch. Won the most tackles and joint-most duels on the pitch today.

Anders: 7

Great to see Can contribute again! People tend to forget that he’s actually a pretty decent footballer. He still lost the ball in a trademark “Emre Can Way” a couple of times, but otherwise, he was great.

Salih Özcan

Sean: 6

Both Can and Özcan had similar games. Most of their work centered on protecting the back line and stopping Bayern’s progression through midfield.

Yash: 6

Julian Brandt

Sean: 5

I thought Bayern’s defenders did a pretty good job keeping Brandt from dangerous areas. He had a few bright flashes but I don’t think they ever resulted in much.

Yash: 7

Brandt was excellent today, creating the most chances of any player on the pitch. He put in a real shift defensively too; only Can won more tackles than he did, and his 4 duels won put him level with Süle and Schlotti. Get on the #BrandtWagen.

Anders: 6

Think he went a little under the radar. Made 3 key passes and ran his lungs out. For a player that tends to play risky, Brandt did good today.

Youssoufa Moukoko

Sean: 8

My man of the match. He put in a very vigorous shift of pressing. His goal was a deceptively hard finish because the ball was so far beneath him.

Yash: 8

More of the same, please. That goal was a wonderful striker’s finish; getting good contact on a ball that’s directly under you is no small task. His pressing was tireless, too, and his strength was evident in the duels he won against a far more physically imposing Bayern backline.

Anders: 8

Was actually so good looking back. Pressed as a one-man-army at times and was very good at collecting the ball in midfield in the build up. A lovely goal to top it all off, and I feel like we haven’t even seen the best from him yet.

Donyell Malen

Sean: 3

His biggest contribution was shooting a one-on-one chance right at Manuel Neuer.

Yash: 3

Easily our worst player today. These 3s are really racking up; at what point does Terzic decide it’s Adeyemi’s time to start?

Anders: 3

Substitutes

Karim Adeyemi

Sean: 8

Adeyemi should have had an assist when he served one up on a platter to Anthony Modeste, but unfortunately he completely fluffed his lines. He torched Josip Stanisic time after time, and it was his long ball that initiated the goal that drew Dortmund level.

Yash: 7.5

Absolutely electric. Hopefully he starts next weekend.

Anders: 8

This guy is faster than Josip Stanisic. Was absolutely robbed of an assist.

Marius Wolf

Sean: 6

The perfect utility-man shift from Wolf. Nothing flashy, but he held down the fort.

Yash: 7

Injected some real drive and energy down the right-hand side, and nearly made Neuer look like an amateur with a curling strike from outside the box. Bayern rarely threatened down the right-hand side after his introduction.

Anders: 6

Anthony Modeste

Sean: 5

A 10 for the equalizer, a 0 for the miss. That averages out to a 5!

Yash: 8.5

A glittering cameo. Modeste’s assignment was a tough one, but boy did he perform. The extra physicality and work ethic he brings really unsettled the tired Bayern defence. A lovely piece of play to assist Mouki’s goal, and a special moment right at the end. The cross from Adeyemi did seem to bounce under him, but I’d have liked to see him do better. Regardless, he’s our Klassiker hero. Build the man a statue.

Anders: 7

Man this could have been an 8 or a 9 if he had just buried that one chance. Luckily he was at the right place at the right time to grab a goal I’ll probably never forget. He also assisted Mouki with a good run and a good cutback. Good job Tony - you deserve it.

Thorgan Hazard

N/A

Overall

Sean: 8

My cold, analytic side says that this was only a draw and that ideally we should aim higher, but my emotional fan side says this was a great result. I haven’t celebrated a goal as hard as I did when Modeste scored in a very long time. It was a huge moment and should hopefully be a huge emotional boost to the team.
Anders: 8

Honestly, if you draw against Bayern, it’s a good day. I cannot remember a time where we’ve went toe to toe with Bayern for more than 20 minutes. Today we did it for at least 60 minutes, and that’s really something. Terzic’ decision to substitute Özcan right after the 2-0 goal was the perfect call, and to introduce Modeste with 20 minutes to go was spot on as well. We were tactically well set up, and we held Bayern to an xG of only 1.23. I’ll cut it at an 8 because we struggled for a large portion of the second half and our forward play wasn’t actually that good.

Yash: 8

Terzić’s tactical set-up was spot on today, as the mobile and combative middle three caused restricted Bayern effectively, while the forward players worked hard and combined well. His substitutions were great as well, as we became more direct and threatening. The fact that Bayern scored twice from outside the box (and only had three shots on target in total) just goes to show how well we nullified their usually potent frontline. Our attacking football was direct and penetrative (as it should be in a game where we're expected to be the underdog), and we posed a more cohesive threat than the Müller-less Reds. FotMob has our xG at 1.62, more than double Bayern’s 0.61. Terzić did brilliantly to adapt to the loss of key players like Reus and Dahoud with an innovative tactical set-up, and it's paid dividends here today. The team's drive and mentality in the recent big matches vs City and Bayern has been enormous, and we look to be making steps in the right direction here.