Borussia Dortmund: Flaky, fun and a team to be feared after Achraf Hakimi downs Inter

November 06, 2019

Who needs strikers when you have Achraf Hakimi? Well, for most of Wednesday, and for large parts of the season, the answer has been Borussia Dortmund.

Another Champions League double for the Moroccan, following his decisive brace against Slavia Prague on matchday two, inspired Lucien Favre’s side to a stirring comeback win against a side that outclassed them in Milan and threatened to again in their own back yard. It’s likely to take them through to the knockout stages too.

But as critical as Hakimi’s two angled finishes were in the 3-2 win, Paco Alcacer’s impact can’t easily be dismissed. The Spanish striker, still short of match fitness, came off the bench and immediately set about making the interception that led to Julian Brandt’s equalizer.

That was the goal that knocked the stuffing out of the Italians. Before that, the Serie A side had been a hard-pressing, decisive, fast-moving tornado on the counter and they blew their hosts away early on.

Manuel Akanji made an ill-advised attempt to win the ball high up the pitch, was easily spun and Lautaro Martinez streaked away from Mats Hummels, who wasn’t fast enough to catch the Argentinian or streetwise enough to take a tactical booking early in the run, to give them the lead.

Visitors take the initiative

When Matias Vecino finished a stunningly incisive team move five minutes before the break, Dortmund looked a side who were all pretty patterns and little punch. The movement Martinez and the presence of Romelu Lukaku offered everything the home side were lacking.

For all BVB’s faults though, this is a talented side with plenty of options and they eventually found the combinations to match their fancy footwork.

“We didn’t play badly in the first half, not at all,” insisted coach Lucien Favre. “We had our chances but didn’t take them, whereas Inter took theirs. But we knew that if we scored one, we’d be ok.”

They did, but it required a little luck. Hakimi’s first was mishit, but suddenly the one-twos were breaking the lines and the players’ tails were up.

Julian Brandt started to look like one of Germany’s most gifted creators again, Jadon Sancho started to make fullbacks feel like they were watching him on a dodgy stream with a delay and Axel Witsel pumped out his chest, pumping up his team and the crowd.

BVB take the wind from Inter’s sails

Enter Alcacer. The Spaniard made a habit of scoring from the bench last season and though his name wasn’t on the scoresheet this time round, his desire and anticipation made the equalizer for the revitalized Brandt.

Shortly afterwards, with the Yellow Wall now sucking the ball goalwards, Hakimi exchanged passes with Sancho before firing underneath the goalkeeper to seal the win.

Inter were done. Antonio Conte, who had done more pointing than a busy bricklayer in the opening hour, stuffed his hands in his pockets as the belief visibly drained from his players. Suddenly, it was Lucien Favre who was jumping around and gesticulating widly on the touchline.

“It feels brutally good,” Brandt said post-match. “We all knew how important this game was so then when you concede two goals, it’s bitter. But then to come back like that is absolute madness.”

It felt that way to those packed in to the Westfalenstadion. This Dortmund side seem unlikely to be one that grinds out results, that can rely on a watertight defense and a consistency of performance.

Favre may well prefer it if they were a little more like that a little more often but their brand of “absolute madness” on a football field certainly has its charms.

Niko Kovac: The key moments that led to his Bayern Munich exit

Biggest defeat in a decade

Saturday’s 5-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt was Bayern’s heaviest since 2009 and left them four points off the pace in the Bundesliga, a league they’ve won for the last seven years. After the defeat, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was scathing, saying the result had been coming and he expected a “turbulent” next few days at the club. He wasn’t wrong.

Niko Kovac: The key moments that led to his Bayern Munich exit

Misfiring Müller

Thomas Müller was one of those who started the Frankfurt defeat as Kovac looked to re-integrate one of the totems of the Bavarian side. Müller, who hasn’t scored in the league since last season, had made it clear he wasn’t happy to have been relegated to a bit part role by the loan signing of Philippe Coutinho. Time will tell whether the new coach rates him.

Niko Kovac: The key moments that led to his Bayern Munich exit

Süle’s injury exposes defense

Bayern also have big problems at the other end of the pitch, having failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last eight games. Those issues have been exacerbated since Niklas Süle picked up a season-ending injury last month. That led to a recall for an aging Jerome Boateng, sent off early on Saturday, a series of unconvincing makeshift options and questions about the sale of Mats Hummels.

Niko Kovac: The key moments that led to his Bayern Munich exit

Boardroom battles

Like most Bayern coaches, Kovac has sometimes found himself a pawn in the political battles at the top of the club. The Croatian was considered the choice of president Uli Hoeness (left) and not a favorite of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. A bizarre press conference last October where the pair and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic attacked the media and did Kovac few favors in the public perception.

Niko Kovac: The key moments that led to his Bayern Munich exit

Failure to land Sane

The strangely public pursuit of Leroy Sane before this season begun ended when the Manchester City and Germany winger sustained a serious injury in the Community Shield, the curtain raiser to the English season. Lacking the statement signing that they wanted, the club moved for Croatia’s Ivan Perisic on loan.

Niko Kovac: The key moments that led to his Bayern Munich exit

Departure of legends

Sane’s signature was so highly sought because of the departures of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery at the end of last season. The veteran wingers won it all with the club and left a significant hole in Bayern’s attacking options and a shortage of top level experience. Kovac has been dealt a tougher hand than many of his predecessors in terms of the playing squad.

Niko Kovac: The key moments that led to his Bayern Munich exit

Outclassed by Klopp

Though Kovac eventually overhauled Borussia Dortmund to win the Bundesliga title before completing the domestic double, a humbling 3-1 home defeat to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the Champions League last 16 suggested Kovac’s side were some way from the top level. With domestic success expected, Europe is huge for Bayern but even a perfect record this season couldn’t save Kovac.

Niko Kovac: The key moments that led to his Bayern Munich exit

Defeat in first Klassiker

After a bllistering start to his Bayern reign comprising four straight league wins, Kovac hit a sticky patch between matchdays 6 and 11 last season. A 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich on November 10 made it just seven points from six games as BVB flew in to a big early lead. Bayern would eventually overhaul their rivals but the skeptics were already starting to note his weaknesses.

Author: Matt Pearson