Match Ratings: BVB See Out a Nervy Finish Against RB Leipzig

At this point, it is safe to say something is cooking in Dortmund. With their tenth win out of ten matches in 2023, BVB showed they have the form to take down a legitimate rival, also in good form. It has been said many times now that if Marco Rose had been in charge of Leipzig all season, they more than likely would be leading the league. After a visit to the Westfalenstadion, Leipzig’s road to the title is now very difficult; just the way BVB like it.

Dortmund needed standout performances to get a result on Friday, and despite a mediocre game overall, the Schwarzgelben had a few key figures deliver their best to rise above the bulls.

Starting XI

Alexander Meyer

Zac: 8

There is no doubt after this match that Alex Meyer is a mentality monster. With probably less than five minutes to steel himself for one of the biggest matches of 2023, Meyer not only stood his ground but made several excellent saves to keep his team in the match.

Paul: 8

It was asking a lot of BVB’s backup goalkeeper to step in for Gregor Kobel on such short notice, particularly in such a big game, but Meyer took it in his stride. Having a backup keeper you can trust is no small thing!

Patrick: 8

I thought Kobel’s absence would be a death sentence for Dortmund but Meyer had other plans. Kobel is still a big miss going forward but Meyer deserved his plaudits for this game.

Julian Ryerson

Zac: 7.5

Returning from a brief injury, Ryerson took up a critical role in the defense, demonstrating his positional awareness and pace on multiple occasions. He was on hand as the last man several times to cooly collect possession or chase down an energy drink attacker.

Paul: 6

Patrick: 7

It was a very industrious performance from Ryerson. He defended well and did really well to track back. Was less involved on the other side of the field.

Nico Schlotterbeck

Zac: 8.5

Paul: 8

Schlotterbeck was in the trenches fighting hard for the three points last night, and I’m not sure BVB could have held on to their lead without him.

Patrick: 9

My choice for man-of-the-match. He made two clearances with one of them on the goal line and was immense in the defense alongside Süle. His passion is infectious and I think it gives a much-needed boost to the team in the final stages of the match.

Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images

Niklas Süle

Zac: 7

Did not notice his performance a ton, which is exactly what I want from him.

Paul: 7

Patrick: 7

Like his center-back partner, Süle was very solid throughout the game. He couldn’t have done anything to prevent Leipzig’s goal. It's evident he’s not as productive on the ball as Schlotterbeck, but his powerful ventures forward are a neat trick he can use to surprise the opposition.

Marius Wolf

Zac: 6.5

Wolf had an unusual game by his standards, in the sense that he started off the game excellently, and steadily got worse through the second half. Marius Wolf is not traditionally right back, and while he is getting better game-by-game, Leipzig was a big test for him.

Paul: 6

Wolf was really good in possession, particularly in the first half, serving as Dortmund’s primary source of ball progression, and chipping in his fair share of chance creation too. He struggled on the other end of the ball though, and he was caught out a little bit on Leipzig’s goal.

Patrick: 7

Emre Can

Zac: 8

Another game-saving clearance from Can earns him more plaudits from the FTW crew. I recall Sarah used to call him the Candyman, and this performance was certainly sweet.

Paul: 8

He was everywhere, including being perfectly placed to fire home what would end up being BVB’s winning goal. He even chipped in with a vital clearance in the final moments of the game. This is the Emre Can everyone wants to see!

Patrick: 8

Salih Özcan

Zac: 5

Özcan has, in my opinion, been a victim of a team in form. While the team around him has grown and improved, I think Özcan has stayed the same across the Hindrunde and Rückrunde. What was good enough in an okayish team then looks out of place in a red-hot BVB now.

Paul: 5

Patrick: 4

Unlike Zac, I think Özcan has been a victim of his own poor form. The midfielder showed himself to be a fantastic defensive contributor in his first few games at Dortmund but now he struggles when on the ball. His inability to maintain possession was especially detrimental as his defense was under siege in the dying stages of this game.

Jude Bellingham

Zac: 7

Paul: 6

I think we’re grading Bellingham on a curve at this point. He was good, but he’s set such high standards at this point that we expect much more than good.

Patrick: 7

What Paul said.

Marco Reus

Zac: 7.5

Reus showed up in a game where his team needed him. At nearly 34 years of age, Reus is supposedly past the age where he should make darting runs past the defense, only to be brought down by the opposition keeper. But this is not just any footballer we’re talking about, this is Marco Reus.

Paul: 7

Patrick: 7

A crucial penalty was converted and he’s now tied for second on Dortmund’s top goalscorer list.

Photo by Alexander Scheuber/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images

Julian Brandt

Zac: 7

Paul: 6

The referee was right to chalk off the goal but it was still a little unfortunate for Brandt who did a tremendous job to get the ball under control and get a really good half-volley off from a difficult angle. Otherwise, I thought Brandt was not quite as dominant as he has been lately but was still vital in making BVB’s offense tick in the first half.

Brandt was most at fault for Leipzig’s goal. One of Can or Bellingham probably should have been quicker to push up and put pressure on Schlager (it looked like a miscommunication between the pair of them), and Wolf probably should have been a little more aware of David Raum running in behind him, but it was Brandt that switched off and let Raum drift inside from the wing, uncontested, to tee up Emil Forsberg. It wasn’t great, but to be fair to Brandt he isn’t in the team for his defensive chops!

Patrick: 6

Couldn’t have summed it up better than Paul.

Sébastien Haller

Zac: 6

Haller makes the players around him successful, and that is a tremendous benefit to a Dortmund team that are ten wins richer now than they were in the fall. I won’t say it is all because of Haller, but some of it absolutely is.

Paul: 5

Haller’s presence on the pitch makes a difference in and of itself, because he’s a significantly more dynamic threat than our other strikers, but he struggled a little bit yesterday.

Patrick: 6

Substitutes

Anthony Modeste

Zac: 3

To my colleagues’ point, yes he works hard, but deary me there are goalkeepers in the Bundesliga who are better with the ball.

Paul: 5

I was (very) tempted to give Modeste a lower rating because as soon as he came onto the pitch Dortmund were forced deeper and presented a significantly less potent threat on the counter, but it feels a little harsh to criticise him for that when this is what he’s always been and we chose to sign him on that basis! He is doing exactly what he has always done, but now he is doing it in a team that is not built to maximise his strengths.

He always puts in plenty of effort, but he’s just a horrible fit in this team, and it’s difficult to see a resolution to that problem that doesn’t involve him moving on in the summer.

Patrick: 4

His inability to create opportunities for himself wouldn’t be as obvious if he was able to create opportunities for others. He can’t do either. Still, it’s obvious he puts in a shift.

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens

Zac: 5

Paul: 5

Came in at a point in the game that it was always going to be difficult for a young lad like Bynoe-Gittens to really have much of an impact. He did his part on defense and tried to stretch the game where he could, but BVB were up against it at that point.

Patrick: 6

Looked threatening on the counter but seemed a bit hamstrung by the fact that everyone else on the team was fatigued when he got on. I’ve really enjoyed JBG so far this season and I think he’s deserved his minutes thus far. He can only get better.

Mats Hummels

N/A

Mahmoud Dahoud

N/A

Overall

Zac: 7

It is the uncertainty in BVB’s recent performances that make me anxious, but simultaneously their ability to win those games that is reassuring. BVB are not battering opposition teams into a pulp, but gritting their teeth and working through every ninety minutes. Perhaps this is the credentials of a title-bound team. In seasons gone by BVB have laid down a 6-0 to a team like Paderborn only to stumble against Freiburg or Bremen a week later. While this BVB team does not currently look ready to demolish everyone, they are building the credentials to at least beat anyone, and that matters more in a title race.

Paul: 7

I think RB Leipzig were clearly the better team yesterday (although some part of that is specifically because they were the ones having to chase the game), and BVB definitely benefited from some luck late in the game, but I still thought it was a pretty solid Dortmund performance. They made the most of the chances that fell their way, and they weathered the storm against a legitimately good team.

Against most teams in the Bundesliga you expect Dortmund to be dominant and win, regardless of the circumstances, but against Leipzig, it is enough that they found a way to get their noses ahead and that they successfully held on to that lead for all three points.

Patrick: 8

It was a vital win for Dortmund and was the first in a set of difficult games for the club across the next month. Leipzig are a good team and Dortmund dominated large swathes of this game. They weathered the storm at the end of the game and held on. Could it have been prettier? Absolutely. That being said, games against good teams aren’t always going to be pretty.