If there’s one factor you may say for Borussia Dortmund, it’s that they don’t half ass something. Sadly, that features defensive collapses that finish their Champions League marketing campaign. BVB definitely complete assed their approach out of Europe, giving up a two-goal first leg benefit over Atalanta by dropping 4-1 within the return leg.
Atalanta definitely put in a significantly better efficiency than final week, however Dortmund’s comedy of errors was an enormous serving to hand. Each single Atalanta aim included no less than one Dortmund defender making a expensive error, and your entire backline regarded scrambled all night time lengthy. There have been indicators of life within the second half, and whereas the offense was restricted, there have been a number of good efforts that simply may have ended up behind the Atalanta web. However even when BVB appeared just like the crew probably to discover a winner, the protection was in a position to snatch defeat in essentially the most hilarious approach potential.
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BVB are going to have to choose themselves up and prepare to go once more with Bayern Munich ready for them this weekend. The Bundesliga title race is all however over, however the least Dortmund can do is put some stress on Bayern and present they will compete. Earlier than we flip our consideration to Der Klassiker this weekend, let’s wrap up our Champions League marketing campaign with some last ideas on final night time’s 4-1 collapse towards Atalanta.
Bensebaini Led the Means However the Complete Protection Was Abysmal
Ramy Bensebaini claimed the headlines, and deservedly so. Bensebaini’s efficiency was among the many worst I’ve seen from a defender in a very long time. However he had a number of serving to arms from everybody round him. Nobody within the backline had a great recreation, and a number of other had horrible video games. Emre Can regarded fully off the tempo on either side of the ball, Waldemar Anton spent all night time getting ragdolled and turned inside out by Gianluca Scamacca, and Daniel Svensson meandered by way of the sport with out ever actually touchdown a glove on any of his opponents. Should you thought the backline was poor, issues have been made considerably worse by Gregor Kobel gifting Atalanta one final probability proper on the finish of the sport.
Nonetheless, although, Bensebaini’s efficiency was head and shoulders above everybody else’s. The Algerian defender had a hand in all 4 of Atalanta’s targets. He was terrible.
Bensebaini was virtually solely liable for Atalanta’s first two targets. He made a useless (and poor) intervention on a cross for the primary aim (although it was unclear if Svensson was vocal sufficient within the second). On the second aim, he made a haphazard try to get one thing in entrance of a Zappacosta shot that Kobel had lined. Kobel was clearly irate about Bensebaini’s decision-making within the second, although that looks like an awfully glass home in hindsight.
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The third aim wasn’t as clearly Bensebaini’s fault as the primary two, however having watched it again just a few occasions, I believe we was fairly poor each when it comes to overlaying his zone and in any try to problem for the header. He gave the impression to be torn between serving to Anton choose up Scamacca and overlaying the 2 guys drifting in behind him. By the point he realised the place the hazard was, it was too late. Bensebaini didn’t cowl himself in glory on this play, however it was a crew effort. The BVB backline was coping with a numerical drawback, however it appeared like nobody was speaking and it was clear that nobody knew who they need to be overlaying or the place the menace was growing. Anton received manhandled because the cross got here in and Svensson regarded misplaced, contributing little or no in consequence. Maybe Bensebaini may need had a greater night time if he wasn’t being left to drown by everybody else round him.
Lastly, on the fourth aim, the one which can most likely survive in everybody’s reminiscence far longer than some other aim on the night time, Bensebaini’s horrible night time was delivered to a barely early conclusion. He misjudged the cross and wasn’t in a super place to make an intervention, however he tried to make a play and it ended terribly. I don’t assume he was solely innocent, however the overwhelming majority of the accountability for Atalanta’s fourth aim lies with Gregor Kobel. Kobel fully misjudged the trajectory of a by way of ball as he got here out to take care of it, and in his try to regulate it discovered himself fully flat-footed. Because of this, he was unable to get the ball from out beneath himself and made a weak, simply intercepted cross to Emre Can. It was a number of errors in judgement to associate with a serious execution error, and every thing that occurred after Kobel’s intervention was simply failed makes an attempt to repair the mess he created.
The Penalty Was Uncontroversial
I don’t assume it is a notably scorching take, and from what I’ve seen to this point most Dortmund followers are already on this camp, however the penalty name was completely high quality. I don’t assume it was a stonewall penalty and a second yellow, however I believe it’s actually onerous to argue that the referee made the flawed name. On the finish of the day, once you fling your boot out into the unknown and it finally ends up connecting with an opponent and bursting their head like a grape, you most likely shouldn’t try to argue the small print.
The image paints a reasonably grim story. Bensebaini’s boot is above waist peak, his studs are up, and he can’t see precisely the place Nikola Krstovic is. Having watched the replay a pair occasions now, it’s additionally clear Bensebaini’s boot connects with head earlier than it connects with ball. That’s about as reckless because it will get. The very fact Krstovic is diving for the ball and his head is somewhat decrease than shoulder peak serves as a barely mitigating issue, however I don’t assume it’s wherever close to sufficient for followers to really feel wronged by the referee’s determination.
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Blame Kehl, Not Kovač
I’ve heard some complaints about Niko Kovač’s selections on the night time, from the beginning lineup to the timing of the subs. I believe you would quibble about a number of the calls, however on steadiness I believe plenty of that’s simply hindsight. You’ll be able to definitely argue the modifications have been somewhat late, however I additionally assume followers are likely to overrate the worth in early substitutions. Early subs could be ineffective as a result of the opposition protection is just not fatigued sufficient for the substitutes to use, and altering issues too quickly after the break could make it troublesome for a crew to maintain its construction. I don’t assume the selection is kind of so simple as followers sometimes consider.
The larger drawback is that Niko Kovač is attempting to stretch out a really skinny squad that has confronted three large video games in simply over per week and has one other one coming this weekend. He has been dealt a extremely dangerous hand, so he’s restricted in his choices to have an effect on video games. The choice to not bolster the squad within the January switch window compounded the issue, forcing Kovač to try to get outcomes with out being afforded the posh of properly rested gamers and rotation. All of it is a entrance workplace drawback.
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We spend plenty of time speaking about BVB’s “mentality issues”, however I believe an absence of high quality and depth are the most important culprits. Middling gamers is not going to ship outcomes with any consistency. Drained legs can and sometimes will collapse. The issue is that the squad at Kovač‘s disposal is fairly common, and it’s now ludicrously skinny too. Sebastian Kehl and the entire entrance workplace have created this example, and the one cause the season has not been a failure is as a result of Niko Kovač has carried out miracles.
Some Quickfire Ideas
I believe it was a poor efficiency, however I additionally assume Dortmund have been fairly unfortunate to come back away from this having conceded 4 targets. Sure there have been many, many particular person errors, besides, it nonetheless required some tough luck for that to result in a 4-1 loss.
I believed Maximilian Beier had a extremely good recreation. I do know he received a nomination for Man of the Match, however I nonetheless assume his efficiency went somewhat beneath the radar. He virtually grabbed a aim, and all of BVB’s finest moments ran by way of him.
I used to be additionally happy with Serhou Guirassy’s efficiency. I do know he fluffed his traces on one in every of his possibilities, however I believed he received into some actually harmful positions and he put up a complete of 0.47 xG. Given how a lot BVB struggled, I believe that’s fairly spectacular.
Lastly, to spherical out my listing of shout outs to the few uncommon positives from a foul night time, Karim Adeyemi and Carney Chukwuemeka each regarded good once they got here on.
Your Ideas?
What did you make of BVB’s efficiency final night time? Who was most at fault for BVB’s Champions League marketing campaign coming to an early conclusion? Tell us within the feedback.