2-1 defeat at Werder - BVB leave charge too late

BVB found themselves trailing early on at a sold-out Weserstadion as Selke put the hosts in front after only three minutes with Ginter playing him onside. Bartels doubled the lead for Werder in the 62nd minute before Hummels pulled one back for visitors with a flying header from a corner on 69 minutes.

Felix Ulrich reporting

The Scenario:

It was a relegation battle at Weserstadion, with bottom side Werder Bremen taking on 16th Borussia Dortmund. Looking at BVB’s poor away record this season (only four out of a possible 24 points), the home side even started as slight favourites for this clash. However, BVB went into the game having won the previous three at Werder in convincing fashion (2-0, 5-0, 5-1), while also having lost only one of the last 12 games against them.

Tactics:

Werder Bremen set up in a 4-4-2 with Junuzovic and Fritz playing a more defensive role in the wing-half positions and Bartels spear heading the diamond, while Selke and Lorenzen occupied the two striking positions. Dortmund stuck to their 4-1-4-1 formation they had fielded since the Hoffenheim game three weeks ago, with Kehl playing in front of defence, Gündogan and Kirch starting in the wing-half positions and Grosskreutz and Aubameyang operating on the wings. After the break, BVB switched to a 4-4-2.

The Game & Analysis:

Against a compact and deep lying defence, Borussia Dortmund failed to pose any threat with a (very) poor first half performance at a rain soaked Weserstadion. As in so many games in this season, Jürgen Klopp’s men dominated possession (71 percent in the first half) but struggled to create any meaningful attacks. They passed the ball back and forth instead of distributing it forward, and when they got into the final third they lacked ideas and the final pass.

BVB fall behind after only three minutes

But worse still was the fact that they headed into the break trailing 1-0 as Davie Selke put the hosts in front from the first chance of the match with a curling shot into the top right corner, with Matthias Ginter playing him onside following a pass from Garcia. BVB were lucky not to concede a second midway through the first half when Lorenzen dragged a shot just wide of the left post after an error by Hummels (26 mins.). Shortly before the break, Langerak came to BVB’s rescue when he came out quickly to seize the ball ahead of Lorensen after another mistake from Hummels.

And Borussia? They had four attempts on goal in the first half, but none really testing Werder keeper Wolf. In the 45th minute, Kirch went closest with an effort from eight yards after a cross from Piszczek, but Wolf had no problem dealing with it.

Jürgen Klopp made one change at halftime, Kagawa replacing Kehl, and the Dortmund coach also switched from a 4-1-4-1 to a 4-4-2 with the Japanese midfielder playing behind the strikers, while Gündogan and Grosskreutz shifting wides and Kirch occupying the holding role. The changes, however, had little effect, with Borussia continuing to struggle in the attacking apartment. And while they posed no threat up front, they looked shaky in defence.

Hummels pulls one back from a corner

In the 62nd minute, Hummels did well to clear the ball ahead of Selke, but only a few seconds later Werder’s youngster easily went past BVB’s skipper before crossing the ball into the box to the unmarked Bartels who slotted home to make it 2-0 (62 mins.). The game now really came to life, with Immobile testing Wolf with a shot from a tight angle (66 mins.), Selke firing over from a promising position at the other end and Hummels finding the net from a Gündogan corner (69 mins.).

BVB were now much more in the game and created a number of chances for an equaliser. Kagawa went close with a shot from 12 yards in the 78th minute, while Ginter had a header on goal but couldn’t get enough power behind it to beat Wolf. Werder looked anything but solid in the closing stages of the match but Borussia were not able to take advantage of it. They were actually lucky not to concede a third when Bartels was denied by the post in the 89th minute.

Teams & Goals

Bundesliga, Matchday 17
WERDER BREMEN – BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2-1 (1-0)

Werder Bremen: Wolf - Gebre Selassie, Galvez, Lukimya, Garcia - Bargfrede - Fritz, Junuzovic - Bartels - Lorenzen, Selke
Bor. Dortmund: Langerak – Piszczek, Ginter, Hummels, Schmelzer - Kehl - Aubameyang, Gündogan, Kirch, Großkreutz – Immobile
Substitutions: 59. Kroos for Lorenzen, 89. Hüsing for Bartels, 90.+1 Makiadi for Junuzovic - 46. Kagawa for Kehl, 76. Blaszczykowski for Piszczek
Goals: 1-0 Selke (3., Garcia), 2-0 Bartels (62., Selke), 2-1 Hummels (69., corner Gündogan)
Corners: 2-6 (HT 2-2), Chances: 7-5 (2-1)
Referee: Gräfe (Berlin), Yellow cards: none
Attendance: 42,100 (sold out), Weather: rainy, 6 degrees

The Prospects:

This was the last game of 2014. BVB’s next Bundesliga match will be on 31 January 2015 (kick-off: 1830 CET) when they travel to Bayer Leverkusen. Their first opponents at Signal Iduna Park will be FC Augsburg on 4 February (2000 CET).