Borussia Dortmund threw away a two-goal lead in Frankfurt to make it just one win in five. Peter Bosz has built a brilliant attacking unit but they have a glaring defensive weakness. A better balance is essential.
A Sebastian Haller penalty and Marius Wolf strike restored parity for the hosts after goals from Nuri Sahin and Max Philipp either side of the break. But in truth, just like last Saturday, this one could have finished with almost any scoreline.
All of which is great for the neutrals. Bosz clearly wants his back four to push up the pitch in order to facilitate the counterattacking strength that has seen his side scored in all but one of their 13 games this term - and it makes for thrilling football. But on Saturday, they were once again as vulnerable at the back as they were dynamic going forward.
Early shoutouts masked problems
Their frailties were rarely mentioned as Dortmund kept clean sheets in their first five league games. But they were there. Impressive as that statistic was, those five shutouts came against five of the Bundesliga’s current bottom six. In most of those games - and particularly in the 6-1 defeat of Borussia Mönchengladbach that broke that sequence - they looked shakier than the scorelines suggested.
Bosz also had the advantage of being a newcomer to the league and his brand of hard pressing, quick passing, high-line football blew teams away. But every style has its disadvantage and it appears the Dutchman’s has been quickly found out.
Niko Kovac was the latest coach to establish that a simple long pass over the midfield is often enough to open Dortmund up. Frankfurt managed that in the 18th minute but Ante Rebic’s strike was disallowed. That warning wasn’t enough, Sebastien Heller almost scored from a similar pass just before the break.
Far too easy to bypass the press
The main issue with this glaring flaw is that it is so simple to exploit. A long straight ball from back to front in between opposition center back and fullback is a staple of amateur games the world over, particularly with a pacy striker to run the channels. That means even sides with limited ballplayers are able to escape Dortmund’s press and carve out chances.
Added to this structural problem, which has been exposed by every high-class side Dortmund have played this year and was a key factor in Frankfurt’s first goal, there were several occasions where basic defending was absent.
Injuries meant Bosz’ was without his four most experienced defenders (Lukasz Piszczek, Sokratis, Ömer Toprak and Marcel Schmelzer) and resulted in Neven Subotic playing his first Dortmund game since March 2016 alongside midfielder Julian Weigl.
The Dortmund boss said he was pleased with the pair after the game but there were several occasions where Haller and Rebic were afforded acres of space in the final third. Forwards of a slightly higher caliber would have made Dortmund pay much earlier in the match than that pair did.
Priorites, priorites
This is an exciting Dortmund side who have the tools to win any game against any team but titles are ususally won by a side capable of both attacking and defending.
“I have talked in the past about the short blanket - if you cover your head, your feet are cold; if you cover your feet, your head is cold,” said former Real Madrid boss Rafael Benitez last month, in reference to Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool. “Sometimes when you attack too much, you are exposed in defense and to find the balance is the key to have chances to win titles.”
It’s early days for Bosz, who had the joint best defensive record in the Dutch league with Ajax last season. And it’s easy to forget that this young Dortmund side is still top of the pile. But without a solution that manages to warm Dortmund’s head without putting their feet at risk of frostbite, it’s hard to see them challenging Bayern Munich's Bundesliga monopoly this season.
Matchday 9 in pictures: Bayer Leverkusen turn on the style, Dortmund pegged back
Bayer Leverkusen turned on the style in Mönchengladbach, while Eintracht Frankfurt produced a brilliant comeback to hold Borussia Dortmund. Catch up with the news from each of the weekend's Bundesliga games.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
Gladbach 1-5 Leverkusen
Leverkusen had a big day when they visited Borussia Park on Saturday. Sven Bender (middle), Leon Bailey, Kevin Volland (far left), Julian Brandt (second from left) and Joel Pohjanpalo all found the back of the net as Leverkusen scored five goals in the second half. Fabian Johnson had given the Foals the lead after seven minutes, but Gladbach's early advantage counted for very little.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
Wolfsburg 1 - 1 Hoffenheim
Julian Nagelsmann's Hoffenheim were looking for a win that would keep them in touch with the top three, but could only manage a draw at Wolfsburg. Maxi Arnold missed an early penalty for the hosts and Kerem Demirbay put Hoffenheim ahead from the spot with 17 minutes to play. But Hoffenheim were denied the win when an injury time header from Uduokhai ensured Wolfsburg's fifth successive draw.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. MacDougall
Freiburg 1 - 1 Hertha
Hertha Berlin still haven't won since September 20. Freiburg's Janik Haberer scored from the spot early in the second half after Christian Günter was taken out in the box. Hertha missed a penalty of their own as Salomon Kalou blazed it over the bar, but the Ivorian atoned for that with an 88th minute spot kick, salvaging a much-needed point.
Image: Imago/J. Huebner
Cologne 0 - 0 Werder Bremen
The Bundesliga's bottom two sides are still without a win between them after a Sunday game high on tension but desperately low in quality. The struggles of both teams were summed up with five minutes to go when Sehrou Guirassy, who replaced Claudio Pizarro after he was injured in the warm up, managed to strike the ball backwards from two yards out with no goalkeeper to be seen.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
Hamburg 0-1 Bayern Munich
Jupp Heynckes' perfect start to his return from retirement continued on Saturday as Bayern topped Hamburg. The Dinosaurs kept Heynckes' side at bay for most of the first half until Gideon Jung saw straight read for a challenge on Kingsley Coman. Corentin Tolisso (pictured) scored the only goal of the game as Bayern kept their third-straight clean sheet.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/O. Hardt
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund blew a two goal lead in Frankfurt. Nuri Sahin put Peter Bosz's side in charge and Maximilian Philipp doubled the score shortly after the break. But Roman Bürki conceded a penalty after colliding clumsily with Ante Rebic, Sebastien Haller converted from the spot. Marius Wolf then scored the equalizer, the first goal of his professional career, before a thrilling finish.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
Augsburg 1-2 Hannover
Hannover returned to their winning ways as they completed a 2-1 comeback against Bundesliga surprise-package Augsburg. Michael Gregoritsch scored the opener after his shot deflected off Julian Korb, but Korb later redeemed himself by picking out Niclas Füllkrug from the right wing for the equalizer. Füllkrug also scored the winner just before the final whistle after Jonathas set him up.
Image: Imago/Philippe Ruiz
Leipzig 1-0 Stuttgart
RB Leipzig's October surge continued as they won their third game in a row. Marcel Sabitzer (right) scored the only goal of the game, finishing a curling effort after Timo Werner, who came through Stuttgart's academy, served him the ball. Stuttgart might have got a draw, but couldn't score. Both teams honored the recently deceased Thomas Albeck, who ran the academy system of both clubs.
Image: Imago/Picture Point LE/K. Kummer
Schalke 2-0 Mainz
Schalke started the matchday with a tough home win against Mainz, mainly thanks to another fine performance by Leon Goretzka. The Bochum youth player scored the first goal of the game before Guido Burgstaller poached a decisive second in the second half. Mainz huffed and puffed but were well short of the quality needed to challenge Schalke, who moved into the top four ahead of Saturday's games.