Jadon Sancho continued his poor run of form while the defence struggled as Borussia Dortmund slumped to a humiliating 5-1 defeat to VfB Stuttgart.
Borussia Dortmund’s title challenge faced a major blow on Saturday when they fell to an embarrassing 5-1 defeat at the hands of newly-promoted VfB Stuttgart on Saturday, at the Signal Iduna Park.
The Black and Yellows, who have had a rather disappointing record against promoted clubs in recent seasons, looked the second-best throughout the course of the game. However, that is not to take any credit away from Stuttgart as they bravely employed a high press and prevented the opposition from properly playing out from the back.
The Swabians eventually took the lead through a penalty, with the in-form Silas Wamangituka calmly converting the penalty. Dortmund, however, did manage to respond through Giovanni Reyna though it was completely against the run of play.
The first-half ended 1-1 but Dortmund’s momentum made them the favourites to seal this tie home until a defensive error led to the second goal from Wamangituka. It once again frustrated the hosts, whose forays into the opposition half allowed the Stuttgart attackers to exploit the space left in behind.
The visitors didn’t miss out on the opportunity either as Philipp Forster, Tanguy Coulibaly and Nicolas Gonzalez all found the back of the net, thus inflicting a massive defeat for the home side. And here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the Borussia Dortmund players in their embarrassing performance against Pellegrino Matarazzo’s men this weekend.
Roman Burki: 7/10
Roman Burki was one of the few players who was up to the challenge today, making some excellent saves in the first half to keep his team in the contest. Unfortunately, the Swiss had no answer to some lacklustre defending in the second half as Stuttgart poured players forward on the counter.
Emre Can: 2/10
Emre Can’s remarkable aggression and tenacity are often laudable. However, it also makes him an erratic footballer and it was evident in his performance against Stuttgart. The ex-Liverpool midfielder conceded the first penalty, which was followed by too much risk-taking in regards to his forays into the final third. Showed his frustration after being subbed off around the hour mark.
Mats Hummels: 1/10
It was one of Mats Hummels’ worst performance in a Dortmund jersey as the German simply couldn’t keep up with the likes of Wamangituka, Coulibaly and Gonzalez. Their pace was just too much for the ageing centre-back, who was also ineffective in the build-up play this evening.
Favre made Hummels smile in despair, You cant break a world champion's mentality unless you're the worst coach on the planet
Which Favre is the undisputed champion in that matter.
— Fs (@fs_i88) December 12, 2020
Manuel Akanji: 1/10
Manuel Akanji produced a lacklustre display in defence, showcasing poor positioning and failing to keep check of Wamangituka. The Swiss international certainly needs to improve on his overall understanding of the game.
Mateu Morey: 4/10
Mateu Morey struggled on the right-hand side for Dortmund as he had to deal with Borna Sosa, who was one of Stuttgart’s best performers. He failed to keep a check on the Croat while also providing very little quality going forward. Made one rash foul late in the game as well and simply wasn’t up to the task.
Jude Bellingham: 5/10
It was a disappointing performance from Jude Bellingham, who was one of Dortmund’s star performers in the win over Zenit. The Englishman was able to offer his box to box quality but was unable to control the ball before eventually making way for Nico Schulz midway through the second half.
Axel Witsel: 6/10
Axel Witsel looked decent during the first 45 minutes, evading the Stuttgart press effortlessly and distributing the ball all around the park. However, the Belgian simply couldn’t keep up with the opposition’s press after the restart, failing to provide the control necessary to keep them in check.
Raphael Guerreiro: 6/10
It was great to see Raphael Guerreiro get back into the starting lineup. It didn’t take long for him to get involved in the game either as the Portuguese international produced the exquisite long ball to find Reyna for the Dortmund goal. His defensive work, however, was far from perfect, with Silas proving to be a menace.
? Reyna's goal
?♂️ Guerreiro's assistEverything about this goal is just sensational. ?
They've not been at their best, but Dortmund produce a moment of magic and they're right back in it! ? pic.twitter.com/oYkuBi2pyz
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) December 12, 2020
Jadon Sancho: 5/10
It was a relatively decent performance from Jadon Sancho who looked lively and tried to create things in the final third. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to test the Stuttgart defence while the Englishman also kept losing possession as the game progressed.
Giovanni Reyna: 7/10
Giovanni Reyna was the only real positive for Borussia Dortmund. The American international played a key role in the final third, offering excellent ball progression and finding pockets of spaces. He also produced an excellent finish to equalise for Dortmund just before half-time while his second goal was chalked off due to an offside call on Youssoufa Moukoko.
Marco Reus: 5/10
Marco Reus clearly struggled to replace Erling Haaland in the number nine position. The German has lacked form ever since returning from injury this year. It was evident against Stuttgart as he kept losing possession while failing to find any clear opening. Troubling signs for Borussia Dortmund.
Is Borussia Dortmund's defending the problem?#BVBVfB #BVB pic.twitter.com/joTNlGRRTx
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) December 12, 2020
Substitutes
Reinier Jesus: 5/10
Reinier Jesus replaced Can around the hour mark in what was a rather surprising substitution by Lucien Favre. The Brazilian had barely played in the Bundesliga this season so his struggles to make an impact were understandable.
Nico Schulz: 5/10
In what was another questionable sub by Favre, the introduction of Schulz in the 64th minute clearly didn’t make any sense from Dortmund’s perspective.
Youssoufa Moukoko: N/A
Offered some decent movement upfront after coming on for Guerreiro with just five minutes remaining on the clock. Should have been introduced much earlier.
Dan-Axel Zagadou: N/A
A late replacement for the struggling Akanji. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Julian Brandt: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
