Dortmund Embarrassed by Stuttgart

Questionable Line-Up Decisions

The starting lineup for Dortmund was misstep number one of many from Sashin in this matchup. Augmenting Schlotterbeck as a left back, while playing both Sabitzer and Brandt out of position left a lot to be desired. Schlotterbeck has demonstrated some pace in prior matchups, but his defensive knowledge and decision making have been a weak point in his game since his arrival from SC Freiburg. When playing as a center back, he is often caught out of position, and left to make dangerous slide tackles, some of which result in phenomenal interceptions and others that result in given away penalties and red cards. Pushing Sabitzer to a more wing-oriented position may work fine in theory, but there was a clear issue of communication for offensive and defensive responsibilities with Ryerson. As we’ll see, the two were rarely on the same page, which lead to easy pickings for Stuttgart’s well drilled offensive machine.

It was good to see that Gross and Nmecha have begun to form a partnership. They’ve paired up well in recent matches as Nmecha is a mobile midfielder that can cover the space that Gross can’t reach. Gross can also act as a good facilitator and someone that can link passing between the defense to the forwards.

The defensive pairing of Anton and Sule have yet to yield convincing products. Its hard to articulate, and there won’t be stats to back this up, but there seems to be a subtle lack of understanding between the two. This is to be expected for any new pairing of personnel, but it begs the question as to why Schlotterbeck was augmented to the left back position and not Sule. Dortmund is clearly trying to define what its best center back pairing should be, and the selection of Anton and Sule as the center backs signals that Sashin has more faith in that partnership than the other iterations of Anton, Sule and Schlotterbeck.

First Half - Down Early, Shellshocked Squad

Quickly after the match started and Dortmund were already down 1-0. In the third minute, a through ball originating from the right side of the pitch cut through Dortmund’s shape and led to a 1 on 1 opportunity that Stuttgart forward, Deniz Undav, excellently slotted past an outstretched Kobel. It must be said that Stuttgart were fortunate to have split Dortmund open on this occasion as Sule slipped as he stepped to intercept the through ball, thus leading to the 1 on 1 opportunity.

While no over Dortmund mistakes had led to this chance, it was clear that Stuttgart felt the match was for the taking and pressed Dortmund immediately following the first strike. Dortmund were lucky to not have gone down 2-0 or 3-0 within the first ten minutes of the match as they had no response for Stuttgart’s wingers. The defensive coronation required between Ryerson and Sabitzer was borderline non-existent and up through the 60th minute in the match, 56% of Stuttgart’s offensive movements had gone through Dortmund’s right flank.

Dortmund looked completely shellshocked and were hanging on to the 1-0 scoreline through some great saves by Kobel up until the 21st minute. Demirovic rose above the Dortmund defenders on an in-swinging corner and made it 2-0. It must also be noted that Dortmund under Sashin defends corners by marking space and not players. With the height and aerial ability of this Dortmund squad, its highly frustrating to see them concede on corners, set pieces and crosses. Sule, Schlotterbeck, Anton and Guriassy are proven aerial duelists, but were outclassed today in the failure to adequately mark Demirovic for the second goal of the match.

Dortmund were holding on for dear life as the onslaught continued. Stuttgart continued to hound Dortmund’s wings and the failure for defensive coordination between the wingers and their winged backs were put on display. There were multiple times where Sabitzer was out of synch with Ryerson, which would result in both being in spaces where they were easily played around by a quick and sharp Stuttgart side.

In the heat of the Stuttgart assault, Nmecha went down with an injury and was replaced by Gittens in the 30th minute. What resulted was a change to the more traditional 4-2-3-1, that Dortmund have seemed most comfortable in throughout the early stages of this season. Adeymi shifted to right midfield, Gittens went to left midfield and Sabitzer shifted into a centralized role. It was here that Dortmund looked the most ready to contest the match. The game slowed down and for this part of the game it seemed that Dortmund had a fighting chance.

There were several moments in the later stages of this half that it was clear Schlotterbeck is not ready to be a left back. He was exposed several times, through either diving in, losing tackles, or being in poor positions. His shift as a left back was poor, but Stuttgart failed to generate goals from this as both early goals resulted from exploiting Dortmund’s other flank.

As the half was rounding out, Dortmund had a final counter-attack that ended the half on a positive note. Gittens had a great run into Stuttgart’s half and had his shot blocked for a corner. That resulting corner had Sule get his head onto the ball, only to miss the target in its entirety. It should also be noted that Sule has been great on latching onto these offensive corners. He hasn’t scored yet this season, but the goals will come if he continues to get onto corners in the frequency he has so far.

Second Half - Outclassed and Embarrassed

Dortmund were lucky to enter the locker room and only be 2-0 down. The formation and tactics yielded a paltry 0.09 xG for the boys in Yellow in the first half, and Stuttgart were deserved leaders. Hopeful Dortmund fans would have anticipated Dortmund to carry the slight momentum they had built after Gittens’ substitution in the 30th minute. Those fans were let down when Dortmund started the second half with 2 new substitutions. Yan Cuoto was brought on for Ryerson, who didn’t have a poor match but without support from his midfield counterpart he was exploited routinely, and Bensebaini for Adeymi.

Bensebaini for Adeymi was a complete misstep. While it was apparent that Schlotterbeck needed to be moved from the left back position, to do so by pulling out Adeymi was a poor decision. Adeymi had some bright moments in the first half, and had tracked back to assist Schlotterbeck on multiple occasions. Adeymi’s work rate was a primary reason that Schlotterbeck was exposed more than he already was.

With bringing on Bensebaini, Dortmund now shifted to a 5-3-2 where it would flex to a 3-5-2 as Bensebaini and Cuoto would commonly push up into the midfield. This played right into Stuttgart’s plans as even with the additional defender, the flanks were now more exposed than they were originally. Bensebaini and Cuoto were left without a vertical support in Sashin’s system and Stuttgart exploited them time and time again.

The substitutions and subsequent tactical shift rendered Dortmund blunt in its attack and all hopes for getting back into the match were lost as Millot made it 3-0 in the 62nd minute. Sloppy defending and poor marking led to a super Millot breaking Dortmund hearts yet again.

Immediately following that, Donyell Malen was brought on to replace Gross, which led to additional confusion about defensive and offensive responsibilities within a midfield completely outclassed by Stuttgart. This would have been a good opportunity to replace Sabitzer as he had one of his most forgettable performances in a Dortmund kit. Malen seemed to just be thrown into the midfield, with no clear assumption of roles or passing of Gross’ roles to his teammates.

Completely against the run of play, Dortmund was handed a lifeline through one of their few counter-attacks. In the 75th minute, Gittens played in Guirassy, who fended off a challenge from ex-Dortmund defender, Dan Zagadou and slid in a superb shot underneath Nubel’s legs. With the match being 3-1, onlookers might have thought that Dortmund would come back into the match, but Stuttgart stayed the course.

The match played out where Dortmund’s defense was non-existent and exposed for an 80th minute goal to make it 4-1, and a 90th minute goal to make it 5-1. Both goals hinged on exploiting the space created in Dortmund’s transition from a 5-3-2, to a 3-5-2. There were multiple moments where Anton and Cuoto would point to the same Stuttgart player as though each was telling the other who to mark. It was a farce and Dortmund were well beat by a tough Stuttgart side.

Conclusion - Tactical Failure

Dortmund lost most of their individual battles on the pitch today. The only players that performed well were Kobel, Gittens and Guriassy. An argument could be made that had Guriassy not scored, he too would be on the list of players that were just outclassed by Stuttgart today.

The match was lost in the line-up and the tactics. The tactics and reliance on the partnership between Sabitzer and Ryerson to lock down the right flank proved to be Dortmund’s undoing. Sabitzer was wanting for pace multiple times today and it is clear that he functions better within a centralized position. He is a good player, but when played out of position Malen would have been a much better selection today. Attempting to use Schlotterbeck as a left back was bold, and should have been done against a weaker side. Dortmund were torn apart by a ruthless Stuttgart side that wanted to win and had better tactics and discipline throughout the day.

Finally, it is clear that Dortmund struggles to create chances as Gittens has saved Dortmund in three matches so far this season. The team has looked devoid of creativity, despite possessing some great creative outlets and talents. Coupling that together with today’s woeful display, Dortmund need to solve some massive problems as to how this team deals with high pressure and how this team manages responsibilities in switching formations and positions for being in possession and out of possession.