Match Ratings: 1-0 Merchants BVB Progress to Next Round of DFB-Pokal

Dortmund head in to Der Klassiker, against Bayern Munich on Saturday night, with high spirits! A convincing 1-0 victory against Hoffenheim in the DFB-Pokal means that The Black and Yellows will now progress through to the stage of the cup where things get really interesting.

It was a significantly rotated BVB side that took the pitch on Wednesday, and especially in the first half, Terzic’s men succeeded in pressing Hoffenheim far into their own half. After many cutbacks and through-balls, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens eventually found Marco Reus with a cutback, and the captain slotted home what would be the only goal of the match!

Was the 1-0 reflective of the performance? Find out in our ratings below!

Starting XI

Gregor Kobel

Yash: 8

A phenomenal double save in the early minutes. Can’t ask for more!

Paul: 6

Made a brilliant save early on, but otherwise didn’t have tons to do.

Anders: 6

Julian Ryerson

Yash: 7.5

Paul: 7

Anders: 7

I think we’ve been a bit harsh on Ryerson in the sense that I feel like many people just see him as “Norwegian guy who can run for a long time”. I was very impressed with his play when Hoffenheim decided to push up, and he found a way to play the ball out, even when surrounded by two players. If he can keep adding to his game like this, he’ll be even more of a bargain than he already is.

Nico Schlotterbeck

Yash: 7

Paul: 7

I thought Schlotterbeck had some excellent moments, and on the whole had a really solid game, but there were a couple minor mistakes that made me drop his rating down a point. I wouldn’t have any complaints if someone were to give him a slightly higher rating.

Anders: 8

Originally a seven, but he did put his body on the line to prevent TSG from going 1-0 up very early on. He’s having a wonderful season so far.

Niklas Süle

Yash: 7

Paul: 6

Anders: 7

Marius Wolf

Yash: 7

Marius looks really good when the team presses cohesively and uses him as a progressive (rather than chance-creating player).

Paul: 5

Anders: 6

I think Wolf was perfectly fine. It obviously suited him quite well that BVB decided to defend by attacking and pressing up. He shifted the ball quite well, but didn’t really do much else of note.

Salih Özcan

Yash: 8.5

A no-brainer MOTM for me. Absolutely flawless in everything he did for the entirety of the game, despite being outnumbered at least two-to-one by the far more physically-imposing Hoffenheim central players. A very strong case for starting the Klassiker this weekend.

Paul: 8

Quietly went about his business very effectively. Didn’t jump out as much as some other players, but on reflection he was excellent.

Anders: 8

My personal MOTM. I loved this performance. Salih sat on top of whoever received the ball in Hoffenheim’s build-up, and quickly found the simple pass forward to either Reus or Brandt.

He created a number of man-advantages, as either Beier or Berisha had rushed forward to try and receive the ball deep, when it was intercepted. And we only paid €5m for this guy?

Julian Brandt

Yash: 6

Showed his tired legs, but gets an extra point for the lovely pass to Gio that set up our goal. Needs rest!!

Paul: 5

I would have been tempted to rest Brandt for this game. He’s been carrying a lot of weight for Dortmund so far this season, and we’ve got a huge game coming up at the weekend. I think he looked tired, and while that tiredness didn’t have a huge negative effect on his game, I’m concerned it might soon.

Anders: 5

Poor Brandt. Terzic, give the man some rest!

Marco Reus

Yash: 7.5

Reus may lack the pace he had as a youngster, but his off-the-ball movement is phenomenal. Was perhaps a little fortunate with the goal he scored, but he continues to prove his value to the team. Julian Nagelsmann, take notes!

Paul: 8

Reus was central to everything Dortmund achieved on Wednesday, especially in and around the penalty area. His winning goal was ultimately shanked into the net, but he put himself in those positions consistently, and eventually one will end up in the net!

Anders: 8

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens

Yash: 7

Had the game ended in the 40th minute, I would’ve given JBG a one or a two (if I was feeling charitable), as his only contribution up to that point had been repeatedly giving the ball away cheaply, in a display of real football unintelligence. However, getting the assist seemed to wake him up, and he played like a man possessed after it, repeatedly making life hell for Bebou. He’s definitely got to improve his off-ball movement and decisions by a bit, but we saw flashes of what he’s truly capable of on Wednesday. Scary.

Paul: 8

I know some folks are going to find every issue in Bynoe-Gittens’ performance, but it’s hard to deny what was JBG’s best performance for BVB yet. He gave the Hoffenheim defense nightmares and was a consistent threat in their penalty area, including providing the assist for Reus’s goal.

Anders: 8

I’m a certified JBG enjoyer. Why may you ask? Just look at how he absolutely toasted Ihlas Bebou on the right side on multiple occasions. This is what it feels like to have an actual good winger on the wing.

Giovanni Reyna

Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images

Yash: 7

Gio-Jule-Marco is a beautiful trio; they’re all so intelligent off the ball and so technically gifted. A joy to watch, as they swapped positions and gave our attack fluidity. Gio recorded five key passes and managed a 95% pass success rate, both the highest of any player on the pitch. If he keeps this level of performance up, it’s hard to argue against him starting.

Paul: 6

Anders: 6

Close to a seven. Was very lively and moved around a lot to make Dortmund’s offensive game tick in the first half. It was very fun to watch the Gio-Jule-Marco combo, as they were taking turns on being left wingers, right wingers and number 10’s.

Youssoufa Moukoko

Yash: 5.5

Paul: 6

Perhaps wasn’t as involved as I would have liked, but thought he was dangerous with the touches he had.

Anders: 6

Boy hasn’t played for a million years, but Moukoko still looked just as good as Füllkrug and Haller have this season (at least in a black and yellow jersey).

Substitutes

Donyell Malen

Yash: 6

Paul: 6

Came on as a pair of fresh legs and to keep Hoffenheim honest. He did that job fine, if not much more.

Anders: 6

I mean he single handedly got Kabak sent off. That’s kinda funny.

Ramy Bensebaini

Yash: 5

Paul: 5

Anders: 5

Felix Nmecha

N/A

Marcel Sabitzer

N/A

Overall

Yash: 8

Yet another new shape, yet another 1-0 win! We were very good and rendered Hoffenheim (who lined up with five forwards) entirely unthreatening, barring the fourth-minute flurry. The thorough dominance of the contest was as pleasing to watch as it was surprising; I can’t recall the last time we’ve dominated an opponent of this level to quite this extent! The strength in depth was evident on Wednesday as well, as both Öz and Gio- who aren’t regular starters- performed excellently, as did Niki.

Playing Mouki as a lone striker ahead of a very tired looking Brandt and a non-playmaking winger in JBG isolated him a little, though, as he looked largely isolated and wasn’t found by his teammates when he did find himself in a good position; something for Terzic to think about, perhaps. All promising signs otherwise, as we turn our attention to the impending clash with a Bayern side who will be looking to avenge their shock loss to third-tier Saarbrücken in the Pokal.

Paul: 8

I’m not entirely sure what has changed, but Dortmund have looked really good recently. Long may it continue! I think this was probably Dortmund’s best performance so far this season. I think the win against Newcastle was more impressive, because they stood their ground against a really, really good team, but this was the most complete BVB have looked.

This game was particularly pleasing because Terzic was able to rotate and give a chance to a few players that have been riding the bench lately. I think every player that was given a chance did a solid job, and that gives BVB options.

Anders: 8

Don’t let this game fool you. Hoffenheim is a very good side, and you would expect them to put up more of a fight than they did. As much as Hoffenheim didn’t play, it was largely because of the fact the Terzic’s men simply didn’t allow them to. I don’t remember when I last saw Dortmund this dominant against an actual decent side. Let’s take three against Bayen next!

Your Thoughts?

What did you think of Dortmund’s performance against Hoffenheim? Do you think they can go all the way in the DFB-Pokal?