Tottenham v BVB: Shockingly lacking intensity and fight | OneFootball

In the Champions League, BVB loses 0:2 in Tottenham after falling behind early and having to play with one man down from the 26th minute. The press is visibly struggling to find anything positive in this disappointing performance by Borussia Dortmund. Here are selected reactions to the fifth consecutive defeat against this opponent.

In fact, BVB was facing a weakened opponent, severely depleted by injuries, according to Welt. But BVB did not take advantage of this, instead presenting themselves as “shocking” especially in the first half. The shot statistics were 11:0 in favor of Tottenham. “Little effort, but lots of misplaced passes” painted an extremely weak picture, one that even deserved the label “desolate.”

BVB will have to wait even longer for their 100th Champions League victory, notes the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The match had already started “as unluckily as possible” for Dortmund. At halftime, Kovac, with his team down to ten men, focused solely on preventing further goals, as his substitutions showed. At least this was achieved in the second half, in which Nico Schlotterbeck even had a chance to score at the end. Now, in the last match of the group stage against Inter Milan, at least securing a spot in the playoffs is a must.

Photo: IMAGO

Halftime substitutions bring BVB much-needed stability

The FAZ notes that BVB averted the looming disaster of an even heavier defeat. The clear inferiority of the first half did not repeat itself in the second. The plan to apply early pressure themselves, especially since Tottenham has been noticeably struggling in the league, did not work out at all. What didn’t work at all in the first half—getting near the opponent’s goal—BVB managed to do more and more often in the second half, even with one man down. However, the Black and Yellows could not create any real goal threat.

There was no sign of a crisis at Tottenham, according to Kicker. From the start, Tottenham set the tone. BVB, on the other hand, lacked important virtues; “in terms of intensity and tackling,” the Black and Yellows were always second best. The red card for Daniel Svensson was admittedly “unfortunate,” and it was also the first in the Swede’s professional career. But after that, BVB could offer even less resistance to the English side than before. After halftime, BVB took control of the game through their adjustments, but: “BVB harmless even after the break,” writes Kicker. Conclusion: The performance and result were a “liberation” – for Tottenham.

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