Mainz v BVB press review: "Solid at the back, ruthless up front" | OneFootball

Even without the last-minute absence of Serhou Guirassy, BVB wins 2:0 against FSV Mainz 05. In Kovac's 200th Bundesliga game as a coach, the fourth consecutive victory without conceding a goal was achieved for the Black and Yellows, which was not pretty but played consistently, as noted in the press analyses.

Whether BVB is becoming serious now is questioned by Oliver Fritsch in Zeit. The current team is characterized by solid defenders like Waldemar Anton instead of Bellingham or Haaland, and players like Karim Adeyemi or Julian Brandt still have their special moments. Building on its new defensive stability installed by Kovac, BVB is now unbeaten in thirteen games. Fritsch suspects that a race for the championship might indeed be brewing.

In the Frankfurter Rundschau, Jan Christian Müller credits BVB with "courage for ugliness," which brings success. "No one doubts that a new attitude has taken hold in Dortmund since February 4," when Niko Kovac took over in Dortmund. His players have now internalized the necessary defending after a start-up period. Because BVB can replace the absence of Serhou Guirassy with national player Julian Brandt, victories like in Mainz are achieved. That this is achieved with ugly football of the "tight at the back, then just long forward and quickly follow up" brand does not bother Niko Kovac, and success proves him right.

Photo: IMAGO

Julian Brandt the Match Winner in Mainz

BVB appeared "ruthlessly efficient" in Mainz, according to the and "defensively consistent." Coach Kovac secured his 90th win in his 200th Bundesliga game with goals from Daniel Svensson and Karim Adeyemi. Gregor Kobel kept a clean sheet for the fourth time in a row. Initially, BVB lacked penetration, but they gladly accepted Mainz's invitations to counterattack. With the victory, they solidified their new, old role as Bayern's number one challenger.

For the Ruhr Nachrichten, it was not one of the two goal scorers, but Julian Brandt who was the match winner in Mainz. Brandt set up both Dortmund goals and had several other good scenes, although he remained without luck in finishing himself. In this form, Julian Brandt should be kept in Dortmund, but the question of his consistency has been Brandt's long-standing companion.

First, Paul Wanner for Mainz only hit the post, and in the next scene, BVB took the lead, reports Kicker. After that, Mainz found no way through the compact Dortmund defense. BVB, in turn, repeatedly relied on the speed of Karim Adeyemi, which in one scene led to a red card for a last-man foul by keeper Robin Zentner. After that, the game was as good as decided. "BVB controlled (...) the match but did not do more offensively than necessary." Remarkable after that was only the debut of new signing Fabio Silva.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.