2019/20 Bundesliga: FC Koln 1-3 Borussia Dortmund - 3 Talking Points

Weigl and Akanji were both key components of Dortmund's win against FC Koln
Weigl and Akanji were both key components of Dortmund's win against FC Koln

2. Lucien Favre's substitution change games

Favre turned Alcacer into a super-sub last season and continues to work his magic from the bench
Favre turned Alcacer into a super-sub last season and continues to work his magic from the bench

Lucien Favre is an excellent manager in many ways, but perhaps the most significant way in which he impacts games is his changes during the course of the 90 minutes.

The first half saw Dortmund harassed and harangued by some stellar pressing from the home team. Their early build-up, which they depend on heavily, was interrupted by this constant pressure. It isolated the best aspects of Dortmund's play in the interlinking of the forward players.

Favre's solution was to allow his wide players - Jadon Sancho and Thorgan Hazard - to fetch the ball from deep positions bringing them into the game a lot more. The biggest impact came with the double substitution that saw Achraf Hakimi and Julian Brandt replace Schulz and Weigl.

Both players added a different dynamic to Dortmund's play. Brandt crisped up the away side's passing between the lines and Hakimi provided pace and movement on the left. They would both be involved with the second goal for Dortmund as well, Brandt in the build-up and Hakimi on the scoresheet.

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