Match Ratings: BVB Take Charge of Title Race With Victory Over Frankfurt

There has been plenty of talk this week about Borussia Dortmund’s mentality problems, lack of leadership, and inability to deliver when the pressure is on, following their collapse against Stuttgart. So it felt a little ominous, going into Saturday evening’s matchup against Frankfurt, having watched Bayern Munich once again fumble the bag. How many more opportunities would the perennial champions afford Dortmund, only for Dortmund to pass them up? Those concerns were partially waylaid with two early goals from Jude Bellingham and Donyell Malen. Although it wasn’t plain sailing throughout, BVB found themselves three goals to the good when Mats Hummels headed home a Guerreiro cross just before halftime, and Malen scored Dortmund’s fourth midway through the second half. Having watched BVB let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers last week, I will admit that, even at 4-0, I was still nervous that they might throw this one away. Thankfully they saw it through.

Dortmund now sit just one point ahead of Bayern, with five games left and a significant deficit in the comparative goal differences. The margins are razor thin, but the fact is that the title is in BVB’s own hands, down the final stretch, for the first time in many, many years.

Photo by Fantasista/Getty Images

Here are our ratings from BVB’s 4-0 victory over Frankfurt:

Starting XI

Gregor Kobel

Paul: 6

Sean: 6

Kobel did his job and kept a clean sheet. While the scoreline ended up being very lopsided, Kobel’s strong play in goal when the game was still close gave Dortmund the ability to extend their lead.

Joey: 7

Kobel was assisted by a strong showing in defense, but it’s worth noting he did have two saves, both of them diving.

Raphael Guerreiro

Paul: 7

Sean: 7

Joey: 7

What great vision to pick out Mats Hummels and deliver him that precise cross which the German headed into the net. It was a solid improvement from last weekend.

Mats Hummels

Paul: 9

Hummels’s performances over the course of this season have demonstrated how much he has to offer as a rotational piece on this team. He’s not capable of being a regular starter anymore, but he is an excellent depth piece.

Although I think Schlotterbeck and Süle are better defenders than him at this point, I tend to think BVB are better with him in the team. I think he is probably a better leader than anyone else in this team.

Sean: 9

A 9 might seem high, but when you consider his goal and the fact that he basically single-handedly contained the Bundesliga MVP, his performance looks that much more impressive.

Joey: 9

Nico Schlotterbeck

Paul: 6

Sean: 7

Schlotterbeck returning to the lineup was a breath of fresh air. He looked strong when he was on the pitch, but unfortunately he had to be subbed off after taking a blast to the face from Donyell Malen on a free kick attempt.

Joey: 7

Julian Ryerson

Paul: 5

Sean: 5

Ryerson has demonstrated a remarkable ability to be “a guy.” He does everything adequately, never stands out, and rarely has a noticeable howler.

Joey: 6

Somehow he lost more one-on-one duals than he won. Otherwise this was a very average game from Ryerson.

Emre Can

Paul: 6

Sean: 6

Joey: 7

Emre Can had a successful pass-rate of 95%. Though many of these passes were in our own half, he was vital in Dortmund maintaining the lion’s share of possession. In addition, his ability to recover the ball in recent weeks has sparked several counterattacking runs.

Jude Bellingham

Paul: 8

I maintain that we tend to grade Bellingham on a curve, to an extent. We expect a lot because he has consistently delivered, despite his age. But there’s no doubting that he has not been at his best lately. Saturday looked more like the best of Bellingham.

If Dortmund somehow manage to keep hold of Bellingham for another season, I think they still need to invest in a midfielder. It’s clear that the sheer volume of games he has played this season has taken its toll, and they’d get more out of him if they were able to lean on someone else everyone now and then. It would also be the right thing to do in terms of giving a young man a good shot at a long career.

Sean: 8

After a few subpar performances in a row, Jude turned it around and produced a match that could only be described as vintage Bellingham. He scored a goal, was a constant menacing presence to every Frankfurt player, and constantly hyped up the crowd.

Joey: 8

Julian Brandt

Paul: 6

Sean: 5

Brandt seems to be struggling a bit right now, which is not ideal, because the club will really need him in these five crucial games coming up.

Joey: 6

I think this match was a step in the right direction and that could be seen with his pass assisting Jude’s goal.

Karim Adeyemi

Paul: 9

Adeyemi put up two assists, four goal-creating actions, and a ton of ball progression (leading the team in progressive carries and behind only Guerreiro for progressive passes). Adeyemi also served as an extremely high-volume outlet for receiving the ball high up the pitch too. Excellent performance.

Sean: 8

This guy really has superstar potential. It feels like no other player can effortlessly beat opponents with their pace or dribbling quite like Adeyemi can. On Saturday he showed that he’s starting to play with confidence.

Joey: 8

I wish I could jump as high as Adeyemi did with his assist for Malen’s first goal.

Donyell Malen

Paul: 9

Sean: 9

Donny has completely turned his season around. Now with six goals in his last six Bundesliga appearances, Malen seems to have “figured it out” at the absolutely perfect time. He might have even earned a 10 if he hadn’t tried to decapitate Nico Schlotterbeck with a free kick attempt.

Joey: 9

Malen has scored seven Bundesliga goals this campaign and six of them have come in the last five games. I’m so glad he’s finally found some form.

Sébastien Haller

Paul: 7

Haller’s performances don’t stand out, exactly, but if you removed him from the lineup, I think the team’s performance would suffer. Hopefully he will eventually contribute more end-product, but I think his contributions in the buildup are still valuable.

Sean: 6

Joey: 6

Substitutes

Niklas Süle

Paul: 6

Sean: 7

I thought Süle filled in more than admirably for Schlotterbeck.

Joey: 7

Marius Wolf

Paul: 5

Sean: 5

Joey: 6

I respect the high intensity that Wolf brings to the pitch, even when his passing is subpar.

Marco Reus

Paul: 5

Sean: 5

Joey: 6

Salih Özcan

N/A

Youssoufa Moukoko

N/A

Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images

Overall

Paul: 8

As is often the case when a team puts up a big score like this, the scoreline does flatter BVB a little. However, I am willing to be a little generous in my overall rating because of the context surrounding the result. It was a good response after an embarrassing collapse against Stuttgart, and all with the pressure of knowing that a win would put them in charge of their own destiny in the title race.

Dortmund will not get a better shot at the title than this. With five (relatively favourable) games left, they only have to match Bayern Munich to become the Bundesliga champions. They’ve got to make the most of this opportunity.

Sean: 7

This match was closer than the 4-0 scoreline indicates. After taking an early lead, Dortmund fell under siege much like they did last weekend against Stuttgart. However, unlike last week, BVB did not break under pressure. They rode out the storm, and with the help of some timely poor finishing from Frankfurt, preserved their clean sheet and expanded their lead. Dortmund are now in a great position to go on and challenge for their first Bundesliga title since 2012.

Joey: 8

I agree that the scoreline was not kind to Frankfurt, but I have to admire the maturity in Dortmund’s performance. Last week was a defensive capitulation, but this week was the opposite. The body language was positive and the team didn't buckle under the pressure of knowing Bayern had lost earlier in the day. Going into the match, I was nervous Dortmund would fumble their opportunity to go top of the table. Now BVB have a legitimate opportunity to win the league.