Roman Bürki has proven himself one of Dortmund's most important players this season, Janek Speight argues, signaling a remarkable transformation from the error-prone goalkeeper of last season.
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Image: picture-alliance/G. Kirchner
Head down, hands on his head, Roman Bürki looked lost on the pitch of the GPS Stadium.
His double blunder had just allowed APOEL to take a shock lead against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Seconds later he was hunched over, staring blankly into the grass as he contemplated what had been a disastrous 2017-18 season between the sticks.
Bürki's season has been a vast improvement on a patchy 2017-18Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/P. Karadjias
The scene was nothing new. A week earlier he had flapped at a cross against Leipzig to gift Marcel Sabitzer the equalizer in a 3-2 defeat. And the nightmare didn't stop as the blunders kept on flowing.
A season which started with so much promise — five clean sheets in his opening five league matches — ended in Dortmund fans questioning the future of their No.1 as the press hammered Bürki for his regular moments of madness.
When Dortmund signed Marwin Hitz from Augsburg in the off-season, it wouldn't have been a surprise to see Bürki's BVB career slip through his fingers like a weak cross.
Heading into Matchday 31 and a potentially season-defining clash against regional rivals Schalke, however, and Bürki's name is the most important on Lucien Favre's team sheet.
The Black and Yellows' attack has taken all the plaudits this season in a goal-heavy crusade towards a Bundesliga title, while the defense has rightly been crucified as the club let a nine-point lead over Bayern slip away.
Yet amid that injury-ravaged, mistake-prone defense has been a goalkeeper in the form of his career. Bürki's transformation has been astonishing as he's been single-handedly responsible for saving Dortmund on numerous occasions.
"I've analyzed the mistakes from the past and learned my lessons," he told Bild last week. "I started from scratch, so to speak. I've become at least a little more selfish in my goalkeeping game."
The defining moment came earlier this month against Mainz, where Dortmund lost all sense of a game-plan and were desperately trying to defend a 2-1 lead to keep alive their title chances. Bürki produced a stunning triple save from point-blank range, his speed and reaction time saving a precious two points.
Bürki had a storming game at home against Mainz two weeks agoImage: picture-alliance/G. Kirchner
Bundesliga's best?
There's a strong case for Bürki being named goalkeeper of the season. Behind a shambolic defense he's still managed to keep nine clean sheets this season.
More importantly, he's strengthened his biggest weaknesses from last season.
Once hesitant when coming off his line to claim crosses or close down opponents, Bürki now exudes calmness and confidence as he assesses the play in front of him. Where once a world-class save was followed by an inexplicable blunder, Bürki now puts in consistently strong performances.
One of Bürki's biggest weaknesses was controlling his area at crosses, but he's made progressImage: picture-alliance/G. Kirchner
His quick feet, smart positioning, and sharp reflexes allow him to stick out palms, fingertips and toes to divert opponents' shots, especially in one-on-one situations.
Between the sticks, he rivals Peter Gulacsi and Yann Sommer as the league's best shot-stopper, while his big-game saves place him above his counterparts.
Bürki's work with a mental coach has been well documented and has clearly helped him bounce back from what could have been a debilitating season
In January he also called a "temporary" halt to his international career with Switzerland, another sign of his commitment to Dortmund and his determination to focus on giving him the best chance to develop and improve as a player.
"I have to be clear in my head and I must be aware of when I can take a risk. Or when I have to be more selfish and just hit the ball forward. You have very little time in the game to find the perfect solution," he said.
Bürki has also emerged as a leader in a Dortmund dressing room lacking in experience. He's among the old boys at age 28, and has embraced the role as the club aim to end their title wait.
If Dortmund are to haul in Bayern and lift the Bundesliga trophy at the end of the season, Bürki's leadership and presence between the posts will be crucial. And with the club's most important match of the season coming up — against Schalke in the fierce Revierderby — fans will be depending on the reliable Swiss to continue his remarkable transformation.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Schalke: Germany's biggest local rivalry
Schalke are set to visit Dortmund in the latest edition of the Revierderby in the Bundesliga. Here we look back at some of the most memorable moments in Germany's biggest local rivalry.
Image: picture-alliance/Fotostand/Wundrig
An English record setter
In the two teams' last encounter, in the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, last December, it was a young Englishman who made the difference in Dortmund's 2-1 victory. BVB winger Jadon Sancho beat Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann in the 74th minute for the win. This made Sancho, who was still just 18 at the time, the youngest goal scorer for Dortmund in Revierderby history.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/L. Baron
What a difference a year makes!
A year ago, Schalke were on their way to a second-place finish and qualification for the Champions League. A 35-year-old Brazilian by the name of Naldo was still at the club and he scored with an incredible free kick to make it 2-0 in the Veltins-Arena. It was Schalke's first Revierderby win since 2014. A year later, Naldo is gone and Schalke are fourth from the bottom of the table.
Image: Reuters/L. Kuegeler
Four-goal comeback
Naldo was also Schalke's hero in the first Revierderby of 2017-18, which was without a doubt one of the most exciting. Dortmund dominated from the kickoff, going up by four goals in the first half hour, but Schalke staged a remarkable comeback in the second half. The Brazilian central defender scored with a header four minutes into time-added-on to give Schalke a 4-4 draw in Dortmund.
Image: picture-alliance/Fotostand/Wundrig
A red card for the ref
Emotions often run high in the Revierderby and the one in Gelsenkirchen in April 2017 was a case in point. Referee Felix Zwayer denied Schalke a penalty and then-coach Markus Weinzierl (third from right) protested a little too vigorously. After he was sent to the stands, Schalke mascot Erwin brandished a red card at referee Zwayer. The match ended 1-1 and Erwin got off with a warning.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Kirchner
BVB win in the fog
The fog was so thick in Dortmund in November 1966, that some referees might have declined to go ahead with the match. Not Gerd Henning: "Every time somebody kicked the ball into the fog, I chased after it," he said afterwards. "It was strenuous, but it was okay. BVB dealt better with the conditions, winning 6-2. Lothar Emmerich's hat trick is the only one ever scored in a Ruhr derby.
Image: Imago/Horstmüller
Fido bites Friedel
One of the strangest things to happen during a Revierderby came in Dortmund in September 1969. After a Schalke goal, some of the spectators invaded the pitch, so the stewards used dogs to drive them back. One of the dogs bit Schalke defender Friedel Rausch in the backside. Despite his pain, Rausch was able to play on.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A goal against his future club
In December 1997, Schalke goalkeeper Jens Lehmann (fourth from left) scored a last-minute goal to earn his team a 2-2 draw in Dortmund. Among the players who have been on both sides of the Ruhr derby, Lehmann is the record holder, having made 11 appearances for Schalke and nine for Dortmund.
Image: ullstein bild - Firo
Penalty spoiler
Frank Rost was the man of the match in Dortmund in January 2004. The Schalke goalkeeper saved two penalties, first from Jan Koller, then from Torsten Frings. Rost would go on to keep a clean sheet and Ebbe Sand's goal shortly before the final whistle gave Schalke a 1-0 win.
Image: picture-alliance /dpa/F.-P. Tschauner
Longest undefeated streak
The derby in Dortmund in December of that same year was also decided by a single Schalke goal. This time it was the Brazilian Ailton (right) who got the winner. This extended Schalke's undefeated streak in the derby to 12 matches — the longest in the history of encounters between Schalke and BVB.
Image: picture-alliance/Ulmer/B. Hacke
Royal Blue hopes dashed
One of the most bitter derby encounters for Schalke. In Dortmund in May of 2007, Schalke's hopes of winning the Bundesliga title ebbed away. In the penultimate match of the season, Alexander Frei and Ebi Smolarek (second from right) both scored in a Dortmund win. Schalke players Christian Pander (left) and Fabian Ernst were clearly not impressed.
Image: picture-alliance/Ulmer/L. Coch
Back from the dead
After an hour of play in Dortmund in September 2008, Schalke were up 3-0 and looked to have all but won the match. After BVB pulled one back, though, Schalke had two players sent off in the space of five minutes. Dortmund got two more to earn a 3-3 draw. The last one was this Alexander Frei penalty in the 89th minute.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Scheidemann
Batman and Robin
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (left) scored the goal that put BVB up 1-0 at home in February of 2015. He and teammate Marco Reus celebrated by donning previously concealed Batman and Robin masks. Dortmund went on to win 3-0. Four years on, Aubameyang is long gone, plying his trade for Arsenal of the EPL, while Reus remains in Dortmund - and is in the form of his life.