Everything's been coming up roses since Dan-Axel Zagadou's been back in the side. Admittedly, the run of four consecutive wins across all competitions can't be credited entirely to the Frenchman; the recent change in formation has made every player look better, but the 20-year-old defender has unquestionably been a stand-out performer. In today's match in Mainz, Zagadou was once again a formidable presence in the back three and he even managed to provide a spectacular assist. 

''He gave a great performance today and is always very assured in possession. He reads the game very well,'' said Lucien Favre in praise of Dan-Axel Zagadou. The young Frenchman was certainly the centre of attention after the final whistle, both among fans and journalists. ''I'm really happy for the boy. It was particularly great to see him being celebrated by the fans like that. He absolutely deserves it,'' said Julian Weigl. Zagadou won 73 percent of his tackles and 90 percent of the passes he made arrived at the feet of teammates. But what impressed most was undoubtedly his star turn as a provider: the defender ran the length of the pitch (at an average speed of 32.2 km/h) before playing the ball to Jadon Sancho to score the all-important second goal. 

The team's recent tactical evolution - from a 4-2-3-1 to a highly flexible three-at-the-back set-up, switching between either a 3-2-4-1 or, particularly at home, a 3-5-2 - emerged from a natural sense of intuition, explained Favre after the match in Mainz. The Head Coach couldn't be happier with the way his team have adjusted since the new system was first put into practice in Berlin two weeks ago: ''We're pressing very well. It all starts from the front. We've become more compact. We've been winning the ball back more often and have been playing better football across the park.'' 

The Black & Yellows have scored nine goals and conceded none in their two most recent league matches against Düsseldorf and Mainz. ''It feels absolutely brilliant,'' said Weigl, going on to add: ''It's given us so much belief and self-confidence going into our last two matches.'' BVB will close out the first half of the season away to TSG Hoffenheim this coming Friday, but before that they play host to current league leaders RB Leipzig at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday night (kick-off 20.30 CET). Three points would be enough to see Borussia pull to within a point of the team from Saxony. ''We know what Leipzig are capable of,'' said Weigl, ''but we're determined to get a win in our last home game of the year.''

Boris Rupert