Match Ratings: BVB Bottle Two Leads Against VfB Stuttgart

The original title to this article, before I came to my senses, was “Match Ratings: Shit, Crap, Garbage.” Obviously, even this lowly SB Nation blog needs to maintain a veneer of respectability so I did change it, but just know that headline is the one that closely reflects my true sentiments.

Not every Borussia Dortmund player was terrible against VfB Stuttgart. Some players did their job and left the game fully in BVB’s control when they were subbed off. The rest, well…

Starting XI

Gregor Kobel

Sean: 4

He gave up three goals on five shots, which is not a good performance by any means, but I’ll give him some slack because they wouldn’t have been easy saves to make, especially the ball that deflected off Emre Can.

Joey: 4

It’s never good for a keeper to concede more goals than shots they save.

Raphael Guerreiro

Sean: 3

Just when Guerreiro was starting to redeem himself in the eyes of BVB fans with his stellar offensive play, he decided to remind everyone why the club is trying so hard to find a more defensive-minded left back. He lost his man while defending a corner on Stuttgart’s second goal, and made one of the most ineffectual defensive plays I’ve ever seen by bombing forward 30 yards towards his man, only for him to effortlessly pass the ball around him, carving BVB open like a pumpkin.

Joey: 4

Crap game for Rapha. When Guerreiro plays in the midfield and attacking third, he’s a completely different player. Reverting him to the left back position, his defensive deficiencies are on full display. Josha Vagnoman ran circles around Rapha, brutally exploiting our defense. Once Hummels was subbed-off, nobody covered for Rapha’s lack of defending.

Mats Hummels

Sean: 6

Was perfectly adequate before his substitution, which helped cause BVB to completely unravel.

Joey: 7

The glue that held the defense together.

Emre Can

Sean: 6

Honestly, if it weren’t for Can, this game could have been 6-3. I don’t hold the deflection against him.

Joey: 6

What Sean said.

Julian Ryerson

Sean: 5

If you watch Tanguy Coulibaly’s goal, Ryerson actually stood his ground fairly well, so I don’t understand the criticism against him. He didn’t have a good game, but at least he didn’t really contribute to the meltdown.

Joey: 6

I thought he had a reasonable game and his effort is there.

Salih Özcan

Sean: 2

If Mahmoud Dahoud doesn’t start in midfield next week, then Terzic needs to go, and that’s only a slight exaggeration. Özcan was abject. His passing is useless and all his defensive prowess seems to have vanished. He failed to clear the ball on Stuttgart’s second goal, and when given the option of either intercepting a pass or marking Silas in the final minute of the game, he chose to do neither and let Silas take a free shot from the top of the 18-yard-box.

Joey: 2

Absolutely atrocious performance. I’m amazed that Terzic didn't substitute him out for Dahoud. He has a high success rate in his passing which I find to be misleading because Oz’s possession is so ineffective. His passes are nearly all backward and he’s brought no creativity to the pitch in recent weeks. It’s one thing to hold the midfield, but when possession is wasted so frequently I was asking myself what the hell was going on? Oz looked utterly confused through the entire game.

Karim Adeyemi

Sean: 6

Joey: 5

Adeyemi had several good runs but his passing was so poor in this match that any attack he started to make was instantly broken by the failed give-and-go with any number of teammates. I think the young German was left frustrated by Stuttgart’s compact defense.

Julian Brandt

Sean: 4

Brandt has been in exceptional form for the last few months, but not against Stuttgart.

Joey: 5

I don’t have any major critiques. This was not Brandt’s day.

Jude Bellingham

Sean: 5

I’ve seen a lot of criticism for Jude’s performance, but outside of his body language (which I continue to think is an overblown problem) he was fine.

Joey: 5

Six for performance, three for body language. When the lead slips away, nobody looks more miserable on the pitch than Jude. I appreciate that he’s an emotional and animated guy, but when the team starts struggling, Bellingham does little to help.

Donyell Malen

Sean: 8

A goal and an assist in ~60 minutes is a good day at the office no matter what. His teammates’ abject performances only puts him into starker relief.

Joey: 8

Donny showed up to play and he’s been finding his best form since joining BVB. Now his teammates need to catch up.

Sébastien Haller

Sean: 7

Scored a goal and wasn’t around for the disaster that followed. Haller avoids our wrath.

Joey: 8

Substitutes

Soumaila Coulibaly

Sean: 1

I have to be objective for the ratings, but I should clarify that the kid doesn’t deserve to be piled on too hard. Your first professional match is always going to be a stressful event, and to do it in a hostile away environment coming on at the half has got to be tough. Unfortunately, Coulibaly’s debut for BVB went about as disastrously as possible.

Joey: 2

Was Coulibaly’s performance objectively terrible? Yes. But the blame doesn't rest with Coulibaly alone. Terzic’s decision to put him in for the second half was made from complacency. Dortmund were up a man and ahead two goals; this seems like it would be the perfect time to offer a young player his first minutes. But when we combine that with the removal of Hummels and absence of Sule and Schlotterbeck, our backline could be considered makeshift. With Rapha frequently failing to defend, Coulibaly was needed both in central defense and on the defensive flank. Stuttgart’s attack was resilient and I don’t think Soumaila knew what to do at any given time. If the team hadn't been up a man and two goals, then I’d suggest he was set up for failure.

Marco Reus

Sean: 4

People are hounding Marco for not tracking back on Stuttgart’s third goal, which frankly doesn’t make any sense to me. He was pressing Stuttgart’s back line, and would have to make up at least 50 yards in about 10 seconds.

Joey: 4

We need to see more from our captain when he comes on.

Youssoufa Moukoko

Sean: 5

Joey: 4

I forgot he even played in this game.

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens

Sean: 4

Joey: 3

Gio Reyna

Sean: 6

Joey: 6

Overall

Sean: 1

I don’t like to dish out 1s lightly, but this really was as bad as it gets. To blow not one, but two separate leads to a relegation candidate with 10 men in the middle of a dogfight for the Bundesliga title is genuinely unacceptable.

Joey: 2

I’d like to simply forget this game. Collectively going 1-3 during a 50-minute stretch of 11 vs 10 is simply unacceptable. Dortmund came away with a point and that’s exactly what they deserved. These are the games that a title contender HAS to win. Consider the five points dropped between this match and the 2-3 loss to Werder Bremen earlier this season (BVB leading 2-0 in the 89’). BVB has no excuse. Next weekend must be better.