Borussia Dortmund - Darmstadt 6:0 Did I just recently say Tuchel was having trouble finding a team balance after so many new signings? Well, after a 6:0 win in the Champions League followed by another 6:0 win in the Bundesliga, I guess he found the balance all right 🙂 I have to say, Dortmund are playing like no other team I've ever seen – they dominate in a different way than Barca or Bayern. I could write a lot about it, but here is a picture that illustrates it better than a thousand words:
How crazy is this? Dortmund is attacking positionally from open play and somehow they manage to OUTNUMBER the Darmstadt defenders in their own box 6 to 4 (if you don't count a couple of midfielders who are just entering the box hopelessly behind the play). There are – count them – 5 (!) players who are all open inside the penalty area and shouting and pointing for the pass. Pulisic is the player with the ball and I think it was Gonzalo Castro who ended up receiving the pass and scoring Dortmund's 5th. To be fair by that time Darmstadt were a bit demoralized to defend properly, but the earlier goals also had a similar pattern – attacking in overwhelming numbers with great confidence, speed and precision; the ball is usually worked to the byline, cutback, goal. Dortmund could have scored 10 or more if they didn't leave Aubumeyang on the bench to give playing time to 2nd choice striker Adrian Ramos who kept missing good chances in the first half. Pulisic had his first goal of the season and also 2 assists, the new boy Emre Mor also scored. I have to say, even during Klopp's time there I don't recall quite this level of attacking brilliance and domination. It will be very interesting to see how this swashbuckling Dortmund team fares against top quality opposition – certainly should expect fireworks.
Hamburg – Leipzig 0:4. You could say this was the ultimate clash of the old and the new – Hamburg are the only club in German football to play continuously in the top flight since its founding, RB Leipzig are the brash newcomers who played in the 5th division just a few seasons back and who are universally despised in Germany. As you can see the outcome was pretty one-sided and emphatic. All goals were scored in the last half hour of the game and Swedish midfielder Emil Forsberg (who was linked with us by some papers this summer) was heavily involved in all 4 in his first start of the season. He is a Kuyt or Milner-like character who runs and presses with abandon, but also has the cool head to find the right option after winning the ball – I fully expect SCM's Scandinavian brigade to start pushing for his signing fairly soon.
Borussia Menchengladbach – Werder 4:1. Werder's consolation goal is an early contender for goal of the season, but other than that they were terrible – I worry how long their manager (former Ukraine national team player, BTW) will survive. Gladbach coach Andre Schubert keeps experimenting with good effect: this time he had Christensen playing in central midfield for a change – anything to keep Dahoud out of the team, it seems! Dahoud did come on after 65 minutes, when the game has been long decided. Eden Hazard's younger brother, Thorgan (very similar to Eden in style) played just off the main striker and scored 2 good goals.
Eintracht Frankfurt – Bayer Leverkusen 2:1. The world's hottest substitute Joel Pohjanpalo was inexplicably left on the bench, despite scoring an 11-minute hat-trick in the last game. Chicharito who played in his place scored his first goal of the season, but also missed a penalty for the foul on Julian Brandt in the 88th minute. Bayern central defense and Jonathan Tah in particular didn't look very solid, which is mainly why they lost.
Bayern – Ingolstadt 3:1. Ingolstadt gave Bayern a real test at home and created numerous chances against the make-shift defense of Javi Martinez – Kimmich, but couldn't beat Neuer or kept missing. Not the best game for Bayern, but all 3 goals they scored were quality: a beautiful no-look chip by Lewandowski, and long-range strikes from Xabi Alonso and Rafinha. Ancelotti rested a few players after the CL game, but kept exactly the same system – his coaching style is a polar opposite to Guardiola who tries to find some new tactical trick almost every week. Jerome Boateng came on as a sub for his first appearance after a long-term injury. A little piece of trivia – Joel Matip's older brother Marvin is the starting CB for Ingolstadt.
Hertha – Schalke 2:0. Schalke manager kept the same team that played rather well versus Bayern, except for Embolo starting in the place of Konoplyanka (who came on for him at half-time). Schalke was always a pretty turgid team away from home and this was no exception. I suspect their defense really cannot come to terms with the loss of Matip – this time both goals they conceded were down to silly individual mistakes and general lack of calmness and class. They also missed the playmaking of Geis, who, much like Dahoud, is inexplicably being frozen out by the new manager. 3rd straight defeat for Schalke and back to the drawing board for coach Marcus Weinzierl.
How crazy is this? Dortmund is attacking positionally from open play and somehow they manage to OUTNUMBER the Darmstadt defenders in their own box 6 to 4 (if you don't count a couple of midfielders who are just entering the box hopelessly behind the play). There are – count them – 5 (!) players who are all open inside the penalty area and shouting and pointing for the pass. Pulisic is the player with the ball and I think it was Gonzalo Castro who ended up receiving the pass and scoring Dortmund's 5th. To be fair by that time Darmstadt were a bit demoralized to defend properly, but the earlier goals also had a similar pattern – attacking in overwhelming numbers with great confidence, speed and precision; the ball is usually worked to the byline, cutback, goal. Dortmund could have scored 10 or more if they didn't leave Aubumeyang on the bench to give playing time to 2nd choice striker Adrian Ramos who kept missing good chances in the first half. Pulisic had his first goal of the season and also 2 assists, the new boy Emre Mor also scored. I have to say, even during Klopp's time there I don't recall quite this level of attacking brilliance and domination. It will be very interesting to see how this swashbuckling Dortmund team fares against top quality opposition – certainly should expect fireworks.
Hamburg – Leipzig 0:4. You could say this was the ultimate clash of the old and the new – Hamburg are the only club in German football to play continuously in the top flight since its founding, RB Leipzig are the brash newcomers who played in the 5th division just a few seasons back and who are universally despised in Germany. As you can see the outcome was pretty one-sided and emphatic. All goals were scored in the last half hour of the game and Swedish midfielder Emil Forsberg (who was linked with us by some papers this summer) was heavily involved in all 4 in his first start of the season. He is a Kuyt or Milner-like character who runs and presses with abandon, but also has the cool head to find the right option after winning the ball – I fully expect SCM's Scandinavian brigade to start pushing for his signing fairly soon.
Borussia Menchengladbach – Werder 4:1. Werder's consolation goal is an early contender for goal of the season, but other than that they were terrible – I worry how long their manager (former Ukraine national team player, BTW) will survive. Gladbach coach Andre Schubert keeps experimenting with good effect: this time he had Christensen playing in central midfield for a change – anything to keep Dahoud out of the team, it seems! Dahoud did come on after 65 minutes, when the game has been long decided. Eden Hazard's younger brother, Thorgan (very similar to Eden in style) played just off the main striker and scored 2 good goals.
Eintracht Frankfurt – Bayer Leverkusen 2:1. The world's hottest substitute Joel Pohjanpalo was inexplicably left on the bench, despite scoring an 11-minute hat-trick in the last game. Chicharito who played in his place scored his first goal of the season, but also missed a penalty for the foul on Julian Brandt in the 88th minute. Bayern central defense and Jonathan Tah in particular didn't look very solid, which is mainly why they lost.
Bayern – Ingolstadt 3:1. Ingolstadt gave Bayern a real test at home and created numerous chances against the make-shift defense of Javi Martinez – Kimmich, but couldn't beat Neuer or kept missing. Not the best game for Bayern, but all 3 goals they scored were quality: a beautiful no-look chip by Lewandowski, and long-range strikes from Xabi Alonso and Rafinha. Ancelotti rested a few players after the CL game, but kept exactly the same system – his coaching style is a polar opposite to Guardiola who tries to find some new tactical trick almost every week. Jerome Boateng came on as a sub for his first appearance after a long-term injury. A little piece of trivia – Joel Matip's older brother Marvin is the starting CB for Ingolstadt.
Hertha – Schalke 2:0. Schalke manager kept the same team that played rather well versus Bayern, except for Embolo starting in the place of Konoplyanka (who came on for him at half-time). Schalke was always a pretty turgid team away from home and this was no exception. I suspect their defense really cannot come to terms with the loss of Matip – this time both goals they conceded were down to silly individual mistakes and general lack of calmness and class. They also missed the playmaking of Geis, who, much like Dahoud, is inexplicably being frozen out by the new manager. 3rd straight defeat for Schalke and back to the drawing board for coach Marcus Weinzierl.
Last edited:
