Bundesliga Player of the Week | Round 19: Nico Schlotterbeck | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund continued their fine form in the Bundesliga this weekend with a comfortable 3-0 win over Union Berlin at the Alte Försterei. Crucial to their victory were the performances of several players, but defender Nico Schlotterbeck stood out with a commanding display.

Despite the noise surrounding his uncertain future beyond this season, Schlotterbeck has remained thoroughly professional and has not let it affect his performances. Schlotterbeck and his teammates in defence limited the hosts to very few meaningful chances, while also progressing the ball well up the pitch. The German international recorded an impressive total of 11 defensive contributions, made nine clearances, and won six duels across the 90 minutes.

Eight minutes into the second half, the 26-year-old doubled his side’s advantage with an excellent header from a corner, beating both Diogo Leite and Janik Haberer in the process.

Dortmund went on to claim a clean sheet and see out the victory, taking full advantage of Bayern Munich’s slip-up earlier on Saturday afternoon. Schlotterbeck also had his say on the title race, with a potential battle against Bayern Munich on the cards in the second half of the season after the gap was cut to eight points: “We’re happy. I just want to keep at it as long as possible. If it’s four or five points at some point, they’ll think about it. They also come to us. They’re not completely gone, they’re a bit steep, but we just want to keep at it.”

GGFN | Harry Good