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When the top two teams from Bundesliga meet, the result is generally expected to be a closely matched affair. That, however, was not the case when Bayern travelled to their title rivals Dortmund on Saturday and extended their unbeaten run to 38 matches with a 3 goal thrashing of the men in yellow. Here are some of the men who really made a difference for their teams, both positively and negatively.
The Zeroes
On one of the biggest nights in the league season, you’d expect your striker to turn up and give his 100%. However, Mario Mandzukic was a passenger throughout the game, played out well by the Dortmund defence. Though he won 5 aerial duels, he could only muster up 29 touches on the ball in an hour of the match, the same as what Mario Goetze got in half of that duration, and gave the ball to the opposition 4 times. Was duly subbed off after the restart.
3. Roman Weidenfeller
The Dortmund veteran was recently rewarded for his performances with his first Germany cap. However, it was an unimpressive display between the sticks by the 33 year old, who managed to make only 1 save and conceded 3. He was at fault for the second goal, rushing towards the sprinting Arjen Robben, when two of his defenders had the Dutchman covered, leaving his goal exposed for him to score. Klopp must expect more from his most experienced campaigner.
2. Nuri Sahin
The blue eyed boy of the Dortmund faithful had a massive task on his hands for the game. To control the midfield and break down Bayern’s attacks. He was found severely lacking in both departments, and was outplayed and outclassed by the combination of Lahm, Kroos and Martinez in the middle of the pitch, allowing him to complete only 35 passes, less than half of what Kroos attempted. A disappointing outing for the highly rated midfielder.
1. Jurgen Klopp
The charismatic manager, who has overseen the revolution at Westfallen stadium finds himself in a bid of a muddle after his team lost its third successive match after the defeat to Arsenal at home. His tactics for the game seemed to be to sit back and attack on the counter, but it backfired as they let Bayern see too much of the ball and run them around for 70 minutes and then demolish them with with their tired legs. He must pickup from where he left and rethink his strategy.
The Heroes
5. Mario Goetze
The former Dortmund boy was put on the bench for his homecoming match by Guardiola, but as Bayern failed to breach the yellow wall, Goetze was called into action and delivered promptly, scoring with the outside of his boot to break the deadlock. Not only did this gave a reason to celebrate to the Bayern fans, he also showed his respect to his former club by refusing to celebrate his goal. A show of brilliant skill and sportsmanship rolled into one.
4. Manuel Neuer
The German keeper was rested for the match against England, replaced by the his opposite number for the night, but he showed why he is the current German No 1, making crucial saves throughout the match. Dortmund looked dangerous on the counter all through the match and the couple of times they managed to get behind the Bayern defence, Neuer was there to deal with any threat with confidence. He made a total of 4 saves in the match, and never looked out of depth.
The golden boy of Munich was at his lethal best, driving the Bayern attack through the right flank, marauding the makeshift Dortmund defence. He put in the cross for Goetze to score and chipped in with a goal of his own which was the final nail in Dortmund’s coffin. It was a man of the match performance.
2. Toni Kroos
The silent hero. He bossed the midfield in a what was to be a tight battle in the middle of the park and ran the much acclaimed Dortmund midfield ragged. Maintained a 93% passing percentage and completed twice as many passes as his opposite number Nuri Sahin. He was key to Bayern maintaining a commendable 58% possession.
1. The Dortmund Fans
One might forgive the fans for leaving early in a game which their team is losing comprehensively against their title rivals. Especially after the dismal performance in the final half hour of the game. But the Dortmund fans again showed why they are frequently put up as the ideal example of how to support your team when they stayed back after the game and applauded and cheered the players. Here is a video of the emotional sequence.
