Match Ratings: BVB Fails to Secure 3 Points against a Stubborn Sevilla

It’s another round of the Champions League, what did you expect? Did you think BVB was going to beat an opponent they downed away from home 4-1 less than a week ago? Did you think they were going to qualify for the knockouts already? In typical Dortmund Fashion, nothing can be easy.

Tanguy Nianzou scored the opening goal in the 18th minute; it just had to be a former Bayern player, didn't it? Thankfully our own Jude Bellingham leveled the score in the 35th, breaking an old Wayne Rooney record. No English teenager has ever scored four goals in a single UEFA Champions League campaign. Jude has now found the net in each of BVB’s UCL matches this season. Let’s hope he can keep it up.

I wasn’t terribly impressed by this performance so enough of my blabbering. Let’s get to the ratings.

Starting XI

Gregor Kobel

Joey: 7

It’s good to see Kobel back. He made one really good save but didn't have to do much else. Communication with his defense may have been lacking on the goal conceded but it’s hard to say.

Yash: 7

Great save to deny Lamela on the line, but his communication with the backline was suspect at times.

Thomas Meunier

Joey: 8

Meunier may have been our most creative player yesterday and that feels really strange to say. His cross earned an assist and he seemed to be our strongest dribbler of the night. With such a busy schedule, it was unsurprising to see the 31-year-old pick up a knock at the end.

Yash: 7

A good performance yet again from the Belgian, but he was let down by unusually-poor crossing. Meunier operated in dangerous areas but didn't create as much as we may have expected from him.

Niklas Süle

Joey: 7

Yash: 6

Mats Hummels

Joey: 7

Hummels had some of the highest passing success, including six accurate long balls. He was also vital in recovering the ball and clearing Sevilla’s attack.

Yash: 7

Extend at all costs.

Tom Rothe:

Joey: 4

Suso and Jesus Navas ran circles around Rothe. I do really like the kid but this was not his game. In addition, his passing was atrocious. I would chalk this up to nerves and inexperience in UCL. His halftime substitution was justified.

Yash: 5

Rothe was given a really tough assignment, up against the far more experienced Suso and Navas, without much help from Donny. Not his best game.

Jude Bellingham

Joey: 7

Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Yash: 6

Scored an important equalizer, but didn't really stand out. He's one of a few players who haven't had much time off recently, so I'm not surprised the tiredness is beginning to show.

Salih Özcan

Joey: 6

Yash: 5

Lost Nianzou for the opener (Bellingham could probably have done a better job of covering or Kobel could have communicated better, but that's just hypothetical). Not his usual self otherwise. Picked up a cheap yellow that'll keep him out of the City game next week. Missed Mo again today.

Karim Adeyemi

Joey: 5

Uninspiring performance from the young German. Adeyemi did very little in the attacking third given his position on the pitch. He looked much more threatening last weekend.

Yash: 4

Poor concentration and decision-making. He doesn't look fully fit at the moment.

Julian Brandt

Joey: 6

Brant is becoming more consistent, and with it allowing more consistent expectations. I do wonder how tired he is, though.

Yash: 6.5

Took on Reus’ role today, running the channels and directing the press. Did his bit defensively, too. Solid but unspectacular.

Donyell Malen

Joey: 4

Yash: 3.5

It's funny that, despite his involvement in the goal we scored, there seems to be some consensus about his match rating. There's a quality player in there—we've seen him show up for the Dutch national team—and yet it hasn't worked thus far. He has all the tools and often does the right things, only to be let down by poor decision-making or a lack of composure. Let's hope this changes soon.

Anthony Modeste

Joey: 5

Tony did next to nothing in this match but as I’ve said before, our team can’t cross. I don’t think Modeste even managed a dozen touches on the ball.

Yash: N/A

NINE touches in 64 minutes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯... I do like his willingness to press, though.

Substitutes

Raphael Guerreiro

Joey: 7

Rapha brought some much-needed stability to the back line.

Yash: 7

Youssoufa Moukoko: N/A

Thorgan Hazard: N/A

Gio Reyna: N/A

Nico Schlotterbeck: N/A

Overall

Joey: 6

This was an uninspired performance by a VERY tired team. October is not kind in its fixture congestion, so I do keep that in mind while rating. Terzic might need to consider a bit more squad rotation with the likes of Rothe, Passlack, Can, Coulibaly and Wolf. I worry most about Brandt, Öz, and Bellingham since those three are in form and also starting nearly every match. I miss Dahoud and I’m disappointed by Malen’s recent play.

Yash: 5

Lacklustre is how I'd describe today. Neither team really did enough to win, and, while we should feel miffed about the referee not giving us a pen, the result is not one either team can complain about. We looked fatigued, which is a real worry: we've got nine games in the next 30 days, averaging out to a game approximately every three days, and the senior squad just doesn't look deep enough to handle that at the minute. Our second team is bursting with talent, though; hopefully, Terzić gives Semić, Rothe, Soumaila, Kamara, and maybe even Rijkhoff opportunities in the first team (the upcoming Pokal game against Hannover would be an ideal time and place to do so). The return of key players in Reus and Reyna is massive, and it's now a question of keeping them fit for as long as possible. It isn't all doom and gloom, though; we've done the bare minimum and not jeopardized our qualification from the group stage.