DFL Supercup: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Bayern Munich - Hits and Flops

The German Supercup lived up to the hype in terms of action when last years title contenders took each other on. Dortmund were missing key players such as Thorgan Hazard, Julian Brandt, and Mats Hummels, who are just coming back to training. Bayern were missing players of their own, most notably Serge Gnabry.

Both teams had their chances but Bayern dominated possession. They tested Dortmund's replacement keeper Hitz, who was up to the task when asked questions. It was Paco Alcacer who opened the scoring as Sancho registered an assist. The goal itself came from a quick turnover of possession near the halfway line leaving Bayern exposed as it did so many times last season.

As Bayern pushed higher in search of an equaliser, Dortmund had some moments of true panic as Akanji got in some crucial blocks and Hitz kept his cool in some threatening situations. Eventually, Sancho was able to get Dortmund a second goal from another break to start their season off on the right foot.

As we look back at the game, let's dive into some of the hits and flops of the game:

Hit: Paco Alcacer + Marco Reus = Entertainment

The duo combined really well on the break

Dortmund played most of the game on the counter, setting up as a 4-4-2 in defence with Alcacer and Reus ready to set off when they retrieve the ball. On every occasion when Dortmund were able to release the duo early on, they were quick and made their way up the pitch with good movement and in some cases, good interchanges.

The chemistry was off on a couple of occasions but with Witsel playing well as usual and winning the ball back at important phases of play, they should have plenty to feed on. They, along with the wingers, Sancho and most likely Thorgan Hazard when he's back will be able to press on the wings high up as well to win the ball in dangerous positions, allowing them to run at the Bayern defence, which in the day was Boateng and Sule, who both have some issues with pace. Reus' pressure on Thiago resulted in the Spanish midfielders poor pass right into Sancho's feet, eventually resulting in the opening goal of the game.

Once Hummels has joined the team, he should be able to find these two up the pitch easily as well, thanks to their coordinated and well thought out movements, both creating space, and running into it.

Flop: Thomas Muller on the right flank

Not a bad game for Thomas Muller, just in the wrong position

If you watch Bayern attack for 5 minutes under Niko Kovac, you'll realise very quickly that they're a team that heavily rely on wing play. This team chased down Borussia Dortmund last season in the league with some great work down both wings from the wingers and full-backs.

Thomas Muller playing in that right-winger role proved to be too one dimensional in this setup. He looked more at home attacking the ball centrally when Coman and Alaba had it down the left side.

His intelligent play and movement meant that he saw a lot of the ball while he was on the pitch and he had a decent game all-in-all, but his impact was greatly reduced by playing him close to the right touchline for large parts of the game. His discipline showed in sticking to the coach's plan, but his intent showed on a number of occasions when he drifted in.

Hit: Axel Witsel

Witsel has carried his form from last season into this one

Let's be honest, Toprak and Akanji aren't the best backline in the world, far from it, but they kept a clean sheet against a very attacking Bayern who dominated possession and relentlessly tried to expose Dortmund's backline.

The central defenders had a fair outing, but the real hero of the set-up was Axel Witsel. He was a shield in front of the two central defenders, preventing Bayern from isolating the centre-backs. When Dortmund were really pushed back, he slotted into the backline as well helping close down balls and clearing them away.

Perhaps the cherry on the cake for him was being able to win the ball intelligently and releasing the runners in front of him. Apart from giving his side a chance to score, it also allowed Dortmund to push out of their low block and put some pressure on Bayern.

Flop: Tolisso & Thiago

Thiago seemed to only be used as an outlet to recycle the ball

This is a strange one. Perhaps flop is the wrong description or this is the description of the wrong people. Here's the layout, throughout the game, Bayern's most threatening players were Coman, Kimmich, Alaba, and Lewandowski. The two central midfielders, it seems simply existed to cycle the ball from one wing to the other.

Neither of them had a poor game, but all they did was bring the ball forward and lay it out into the wings. Dortmund knew what was coming every time and were either able to block off avenues or pressure them into poor passes.

The one time Kimmich took some initiative and went on a mazy run centrally, he almost scored for Bayern. We saw no initiative from either of the central midfielders to try and attack the central defenders once in a while with a dribble or a delayed run when the ball goes wide. All in all, it made Bayern very one dimensional.

Hit: Jadon Sancho

Sancho registered his first assist of the season

The English winger had a poor start to the game. All of the first half play that went through him either resulted in a turnover of possession or ended in Dortmund having to recycle the ball. None of his usual flicks and tricks came off either.

The second half started off similarly for him, but as the game went on, he came into it with a bang. As soon as Thiago put the misplaced pass at his feet, he was gone in a flash, he got the attention of three Bayern defenders and found an unmarked Alcacer who ran onto his pass and slotted the ball into the goal through the legs of Nicklas Sule.

Bayern started to push harder in attack once they went a goal behind, and it suited Dortmund just fine. They sat back and absorbed the pressure, once again Sancho found himself on the ball from a break and would score this time putting the ball between Manuel Neuer's legs.