Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 Borussia Dortmund: 5 Talking Points | Bundesliga 2019/20

Borussia Dortmund had another nearly game as they went ahead twice against Eintracht Frankfurt only to settle for a point in the end. Both halves had a similar pattern as Dortmund started the scoring early in each half only for Frankfurt to claw their way back in and equalise on both occasions.

Dortmund were moments away from being the first team to beat Adi Hutter's side at home but succumbed to some pressure and a slice of luck that ended in Thomas Delaney's skewed clearance ending in their own goal.

Dortmund saw the lion's share of the ball and perhaps created more chances but there were passages of play where Frankfurt really made Dortmund nervous. Lucien Favre now has to respond to two draws in two games (Barcelona & Eintracht Frankfurt) where they probably should have got all three points. In trying to get his team to react to this before it becomes a slump he'll sure look back at key moments in this game.

Favre's intuitive changes

Lucien Favre made some good calls off the bench

Not many would take off their top assist maker and only recognisable striker off the pitch with just a goal advantage, Favre could've chosen to take Thorgan Hazard off instead of Jadon Sancho but he made the bolder choice instead. He applied the same in making the call to replace Paco Alcacer with Mario Gotze.

Both Sancho and Alcacer had a very average game. Alcacer barely impacted the game, and although Sancho did get on the scoresheet, he was wasteful from many good positions for Dortmund.

It's perhaps not a worry for Favre long-term, but he realised that the duo weren't impacting the game as they should have and was bold in pulling the plug. The changes gave Dortmund a more balanced look as they wrapped up the game, an unfortunate touch from Thomas Delaney proving to be their undoing.

Witsel contributing at both ends

Axel Witsel is a key player in this set-up

There are two key phases in Borussia Dortmund's midfield play. Within this system, Axel Witsel performs a key role in both those phases. Against Eintracht Frankfurt, when they're building out of the back, Witsel was able to tuck in with the centre-backs so that the full-backs could push up the pitch. Meanwhile, Delaney provided a passing option in the middle.

The second is in the final third with Witsel providing an option at the edge of the box or making a late run into the box as is required according to how the play develops. He did this as Delaney hangs slightly behind in anticipation of a counter-attack. Regardless, this involvement in attack was key in both of Dortmund's goals as he was involved in the build-up of the first one and provided the assist for the second.

The attacking full-backs

Hakimi tore apart Frankfurt's defence for about 20 minutes before they began to cope

For the best part of the first half, Borussia Dortmund really troubled the home side down the wings. This wasn't the surprising bit, but it was Achraf Hakimi and Raphael Guerreiro who were bombing forward while Sancho and Hazard provided support - a deliberate tactic from Dortmund to expose the advanced wing-backs of Frankfurt as they followed the wingers coming in deep.

Axel Witsel played a key role here as well in terms of quick distribution of the ball out to the space between the centre-backs and the wing-backs. He was able to find Hakimi, in particular constantly free and in space on the right-wing before Frankfurt eventually caught on and adapted to defend better int he situation.

As the game progressed, Dortmund reverted to type a bit more. However, they now have a good method to use against teams that try to mark Sancho and Hazard or Brandt out of the game in an attempt to stifle their wing play.

Dortmund lacking ruthlessness

Alcacer barely impacted the game

This could perhaps read as a comment on both this game and the previous game against Barcelona because the same themes from that game carried over into this one. The visitors had 16 shots at goal of which 7 were on target, and that perhaps undersells the number of good chances created by Dortmund on the day. Yet, they came away with only a point.

Dortmund need to start finding the back of the net more regularly and kill off games before teams make them pay for it, as Frankfurt did in this instance. Though, that's only a part of the issue.

During certain points in the game when Dortmund were in the lead, they tended to dop their level and allowing the opposition into the game instead of grabbing it by the scruff of the neck and putting it beyond doubt. They continued to create chances, but not like a team that was hungry to put the game to bed, rather as a byproduct of just the sheer quality of the side. They may need to change their mentality to finish these games off earlier.

Hummels injury costing Dortmund

Mats Hummels was missed in the Dortmund defence

Last season, Borussia Dortmund could arguably have lost the title because of the lack of experience in that side. That nous to be able to usher your team past the finishing line when you're not really playing at your top-level was missing from this team.

In signing Mats Hummels this summer, Dortmund were not only able to bring in some quality experienced defending, but also a proven winner with both Bayern Munich and Germany. The feeling since the start was this campaign was that with the additions in the summer and the returning Hummels, Dortmund could once again really challenge for the title.

As Hummels was unable to continue and was replaced by Zagadou, Dortmund saw first-hand what could be the result if Hummels' injury keeps him out for a long period of time. His leadership at the back could be key to keeping teams at bay and calming the team when under pressure. It's something Dortmund missed for most of the second half and will definitely miss if he's absent for the long term.