Borussia Dortmund failed to continue their winning momentum as they finished goalless with Koln on Saturday. Its not the first time the Black and Yellows have struggled to score past Peter Stoger’s side, as they are yet to defeat them in their last six encounters. Two goals were deemed as offside and BVB missed quite a lot chances as the battle for the third position stays very open. A win for Hoffenheim against Eintracht, will take them above Thomas Tuchel’s men in third position which will mean that the next week’s clash between the two sides might decide it all. Here are the Dortmund players rated in their horrific offensive display versus Koln.
Roman Burki(7.5/10): A very quite game for Roman Burki, who didn’t have to make too many saves as Koln were happy to just contain the Dortmund side while having literally nothing to fire against.
Erik Durm(7.5/10): Had an important role in the build up play, especially in the first half but the 24-year old ended up having the second worst pass completion rate in the first 45 minutes(66%).
Sokratis(7.5/10): A good performance, just as you would expect from the Greek International. He was commending from the back and made quite a lot of key interceptions to keep out the opposition from breaching their defensive lines.
Matthias Ginter(7/10): Looked shaky even against a side, who basically offered nothing in attack. Few poor touches almost paved the way for Modeste to grab the opener. He really needs to improve himself as an overall defender.
Marcel Schmelzer(9/10): By far the best Dortmund player in the entire game, Schmelzer didn’t miss a beat on the left flank. He was confident, and agile while at the same time, he managed a lot of dangerous crosses. He was also equally impressive in defending and showed his true class throughout the whole ninety minutes.
Julian Weigl(7/10): Its clearly evident that the 21 year old wants to emulate his playing style to the next level. However, he’s having a few troubles doing so, as many of passes went astray against Koln.
Christian Pulisic(7.5/10): Was very active in the first half, as the American constantly ran in at opposition defenders and even got past them on many occasions. However, he did lack the final end product as most of his crosses weren’t accurate enough albeit dangerous.
Gonzalo Castro(8/10): A mixed performance from the former Leverkusen midfielder. Castro was neat with his movements but lacked the temperament to outclass the dogged defense of Koln. Few of his passes did however, manage to break the shackles of the opposition. Also had a goal harshly disallowed due to Marco Reus being offside, which he wasn’t.
Shinji Kagawa(7/10): Failed to make his mark onto the proceedings. The Japanese midfielder was largely restricted from having much space in the final third so he found it difficult to find the telling pass.
Marco Reus(7.5/10): A frustrating game overall for the German International. He missed a couple of glorious chances while having a goal completely disallowed. His runs also weren’t as accurate enough as one would expect.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang(7/10): Once again, the Gabonese International failed to find the scoresheet against the Billygoats. As Peter Stoger’s sturdy Koln, remain the only side Aubameyang is yet to score against.
Subs
Ousmane Dembele(7.5/10): Made an early impact after replacing Marco Reus after the hour mark as he drew Timo Horn to make a save just minutes after coming on. But his effect started to fade away as the time went on.
Raphael Guerrerio(7.5/10): Didn’t do enough to change the game, apart from taking a brilliant shot in the injury time, which forced Timo Horn to make another world class save.
Lukasz Piszczek(NA): Replaced the hobbling Sokratis in the final phase of the game. No notable contributions.
