What a waste.
Dortmund had a very simple chance to make qualifying for the Champions League knockout rounds that much easier, but that chance has been squandered. You could almost call it that.
Two goals and a remarkable control of the game, as well as some outstanding performances from some players that weren’t always ruined on the pitch, what was it about? Not organized well? Bad substitution? psychology? It’s hard to necessarily choose one over the other.
Of course, the final touch could have been better. Silva missed some, Bale missed some. These seemingly endless chances did dry up late in the game, and when the substitutes came on, the missed opportunities became increasingly painful in retrospect.
The substitution situation is pretty bad, but let’s analyze it. You can take Silva and Bale, who created chances all game long, but you can’t necessarily stop them. If your “starters” Gilasi and Adeyemi keep up the pace and bring fresh energy, maybe they’ll kill the game. A tactical masterclass. But they didn’t, so the story became “Why did the two best attackers leave the field?” It’s the “if it works, you’re the hero” paradox.
But the performance of the substitutes was terrible. You could literally see Dortmund’s control of the game disappear in real time. Now I’m going to get a little brash and angry, so just accept that. Gilasi’s performance was deplorable. Untimely jumping, running, passing. Awareness is weak and belief is not firm. I mean what the hell are you doing here? Do big-name players want to play in the big Champions League? Is this something you are willing to offer? And Adeyemi, who loses possession of the ball every time he sees it? These two cost Dortmund any chance of getting back into the competition. Adeyemi probably at least cares about that and blames himself for it.
psychology? I have no idea. The team lacked creativity and the bench stifled every possession before it even started. Do you blame Kovac? perhaps. He probably should have at least kept Cotto going instead of counting on a tired Brandt to keep the engine running. There were no goals on the field and Dortmund needed to score. I would blame Kovac for not bringing Can on immediately when Anselmino went down. Bode/Glimt scored in the channel where Anselmino was absent! It’s the 80th minute, replace him! Why do we need to wait and evaluate? This is not a mentality, this is brainlessness.
This is Dortmund’s folly from a postcard perspective. Print and ship. Do you want to leave Dortmund and win trophies? Any of you? What did you do to get one while you were here?
Great game from Yan Couto.
