Match Ratings: BVB Head Home Empty-Handed After a Disappointing Second Half in Köln

I’m gonna be honest with you, this review post is written with a bad feeling in my stomach. For some reason, this defeat against FC Köln was exactly what we should have expected from a Dortmund team that has been struggling in open play for most of this season.

Even though the xG was in Dortmund’s favor, it wasn’t really by much. I know our offense is a work in progress, and I also know that Modeste maybe isn’t someone we should count on to score 20+ goals a season. I was honestly kind of disappointed when I found out that Terzic wasn’t starting Youssoufa Moukoko, and I thought it was a very premature decision to take of Salih Özcan with 20 minutes to go.

This game was a real reality check for our players, and I hope they’ll bounce back quickly. Luckily, the team will have an opportunity to do exactly that on Wednesday, when they travel to southern Spain for their Champions League clash against Sevilla.

Well, back to the grind! (Literally — Terzic apparently cancelled the day off on Sunday). Here are our ratings!

Starting XI

Alexander Meyer

Anders: 5

Meyer was alright. He did have a couple of good saves, and I think his distribution is improving. I don’t believe he was to blame for any of the goals conceded.

Yash: 6

Stopped the shots he could, didn’t stop the ones he couldn’t. Hung out to dry by the centre backs.

Darshan: 6

I feel that he was not at fault for any of the goals conceded. The defence really let him down. Had a couple of good saves and did a decent job of sweeping too. As usual Meyer’s highlight is his distribution, definitely a good buy for backup GK.

Niklas Süle

Anders: 4.5

Yash: 3.5

Darshan: 4

The way Sule tried to close down the cross before the goal was reminiscent of Virgil Van Dijk’s attempt in the UCL final.

Nico Schlotterbeck

Anders: 4

Yash: 3.5

I’ll address both centre-backs’ performances here: awful. While both are generally capable (and, on their day, world-class), neither of them has half the presence of Hummels. Süle was too slow to react when we conceded the first, and Schlotti was completely lost at the near post for the second. An unkinder writer might even suggest that the blame for the third could also be laid at the dismal duo’s door. It seems rare that a day goes by without people calling out our vice-captain for his lack of speed and perceived poor performances, but it seems as though we lose every game we play without him.

Darshan: 4

Raphael Guerreiro

Anders: 5

Yash: 6

Got involved on and off, but didn’t get the support he needed.

Darshan: 5.5

Was solid in the first half, and had a good stretch where he was contributing equally in defense and attack, putting in those interceptions and crosses. All went to waste in the second half. Lost his man for the first goal.

Thomas Meunier

Anders: 5

Meunier wasn’t as bad as one could have feared. He did try to create something from forward runs, but he was caught well out of position for the equalizing goal by Florian Kainz.

Yash: 5.5

Darshan: 4.5

Salih Özcan

Anders: 6

I think Özcan was pretty decent. He stood very low for large parts of the game, and he clearly is a strong piece in our defensive organisation. I don’t think he should have been taken off - and that doesn’t have anything to do with the goal scored just two minutes after he was substituted.

Yash: 6

Swept up well during the first half. Slightly slacker in the second (but who wasn’t?). Undeservedly substituted.

Darshan: 6

Jude Bellingham

Anders: 6.5

Captain Jude was very active in all areas of the pitch today. I swear this kid never has a bad game. He was a bit off at times, but that was just as much a result of the entire team imploding in the second half. Very active on the ball - I liked it.

Yash: 6.5

Darshan: 6.5

Really wished that it was a win for Jude’s first game as captain :(

Donyell Malen

Anders: 3

Yash: 3

Dreadful decision-making and wasteful shooting contributed to (probably) Donny’s worst performance in a BVB shirt. Definitely should have been hooked at half.

Darshan: 3.5

I really don't like blaming players after a defeat. But I'm pretty certain everyone would agree that the game would have had a different outcome if Donny had finished his chances. Like Yash mentioned, should have been subbed off earlier as he was a non-factor during the second half.

Karim Adeyemi

Anders: 5

Still needs to find his footing. He clearly has so much to offer, and I’m sure it will come with time. I do think he needs to be a bit more active on the defensive end - it did cost us a bit today.

Yash: 4.5

Energetic but utterly ineffectual (barring two really good shots approximately 30 seconds apart). The potential is there, it really is up to him to find his form.

Darshan: 5

He’s getting there. Should be given some more time.

Julian Brandt

Anders: 7

I’ve been harsh on Brandt, but he was the best player on the pitch today. Very proactive going forward. Three key passes and a passing accuracy rate of 86% is very good. Hopefully he can continue that trend in the absence of Reus and Reyna.

Yash: 7

The best player in black and yellow on the evening. Scored a lovely goal, created the most chances by any BVB player, completed the second-most dribbles, and somehow won more duels than Özcan and Süle. Another good performance from Jule, who is staking a real claim for a ticket to Qatar.

Darshan: 7

Really hope that he keeps this form up. Slowly living up to the expectations of the player we signed from Leverkusen in 2019.

Anthony Modeste

Anders: 4

Oh man, was Modeste kept quiet today. Baumgart knows his every move, so it wasn’t a surprise that he was neutralized quite easily by a great team effort from Köln. I don’t blame him. Should have started on the bench though.

Yash: 3

He... won some duels, I guess? Starting him ahead of Moukoko is tantamount to a war crime at this point, especially against a team that knows all about his very specific skillset. I like Tony; he’s a committed guy, a hard worker, and a great character, but he just doesn’t work in games where we’re expected to be the dominant force.

Darshan: 3

Substitutes

Thorgan Hazard

Anders: 4

Running isn’t enough.

Yash: 4.5

Full of drive and invention, but missing an open goal from 5 yards is inexcusable.

Darshan: 4

Would have been a 7 if he had finished that chance.

Youssoufa Moukoko

Anders: 5

Yash: 5.5

Missed a chance that Modeste would almost certainly have buried, but injected some verve into a faltering attack. He is so much more than an emergency sub, and we risk losing him on a free if he continues to languish on the bench.

Darshan: 5

Tom Rothe

N/A

Emre Can

N/A

Overall

Anders: 5

Now I’m not a professional football coach, but damn - the last two losses have placed Terzic in a bad light. I think his team selection was off (Moukoko?!), and I think substituting Özcan with twenty minutes left on the clock was just... Dumb. We still have a long way to go in terms of dominating games against “weaker sides” (I think Baumgart’s team is great btw).

Yash: 5.5

Ultimately, we had to lie in the grave we dug for ourselves. Not for the first time, poor team selection (and substitutions), injuries, and shocking finishing undid us today. It’s clear that Donny and Adeyemi cannot start together and once it became apparent that the Dutchman was dropping a stinker, he should probably have been subbed off, especially as we had options on the bench. Up front, Modeste is not a good stylistic fit for a game in which we play on the front foot and Moukoko definitely deserves to be rewarded for the form he’s shown off the bench. I was frustrated at the club’s decision to sell Steffen Tigges, so that we could end up with (in my opinion) a relative downgrade in Modeste, and that decision came back to bite us rather spectacularly today. The Tigginator possesses all of Tony’s work-rate and aerial ability, but he’s also younger, more versatile, physically stronger, and a natural leader on the pitch. An absolute travesty that BVB didn’t choose to stay patient with him and decided to sell him for so little. Back to the game, however: the rapid second-half implosion we suffered just furthers my view that we absolutely have to extend Hummels’ contract; his leadership is invaluable, especially when shielding the not-so-vocal Meyer. Reus’ presence was also sorely missed. This is a sore one to take, especially as it puts us level on points with a buoyant FC Hollywood going into der Klassiker next weekend, with a tricky trip to Seville in the midweek. Let’s hope Terzic’s “no days off” policy can galvanise our beloved Black and Yellows.

Darshan: 5

Another one of the “stupid” losses we have seen this season. Fair play to Koln though, Baumgart’s men were on a mission in the second half. While watching the first half, I was thinking about how far the team has come this season and how the team has demonstrated the ability and maturity to recover from failures, even when operating at half capacity. Seeing Meunier and Guerreiro work actively both in defence and attack made me feel that the tides within the team were changing. A tough loss to take. But I guess we all have become accustomed to seeing the Black and Yellows mess up on countless opportunities to surpass their rivals and get closer to their goal of lifting the Meisterschale. Terzic has been given an uneven roster burdened with injuries, but mistakes like substituting a holding midfielder for a striker when the game might go either way are inexcusable. Hopefully, the team learns from its mistakes and puts on a good show against Bayern.