Goals, goals conceded, young talents, development: BVB head into the final stretch of the season full of ambition | OneFootball

Let’s start with the numbers: there are three games left to play – away at Gladbach, against Frankfurt, and away at Bremen. There are 9 points still up for grabs – if they pick up all nine, Borussia Dortmund would finish the 2025/26 season with one more point to their name than in their title-winning 2010/11 campaign. Back then, they had the league’s strongest defence, conceding just 22 goals (a club record). They have it now too!

31 goals conceded after 31 matchdays is also the second-best tally in Borussia Dortmund’s history. Gregor Kobel has already kept 14 clean sheets (a league-best). The defence is the foundation of their success. But the often-criticised attack has nothing to be ashamed of. 65 goals scored are not only the second-highest tally in the league, they are roughly the same haul that Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal have reported at the same stage of the season in their respective leagues.

“We played with great, great commitment and demonstrated the tactical elements the manager has been working on with the team this week. That’s an important signal that we’re keen to keep developing,” explained sporting director Ole Book after the 4-0 win against Freiburg, whilst head coach Niko Kovac summed up: “We’ve tweaked our approach slightly in terms of how we want to break down the opposition. I liked the way we kept possession, especially in the first half, how we moved the ball around, and how we pushed the opposition back.” He also called for “quick, confident passing in future – then we’ll always find the free player”.

Kovac had set the team up and instructed them to play more offensively. Not two hard-working wingers who never neglect their defensive duties, but just one (Julian Ryerson) was in the starting line-up. Instead, Maxi Beier started on the left in place of Daniel Svensson. In practical terms, Beier was positioned level with centre-forward Serhou Guirassy. As a result, when defending, the back three or five often became a back four, with the alert Ramy Bensebaini on the left. That paid off early on. It was Bensebaini who, in the eighth minute, played a long ball deep and wide on the left in his own half to Beier, who was positioned far forward; Beier was subsequently unable to be stopped by the Freiburg defence and duly scored the earliest goal of the season for the Black & Yellows.

Beier was one of the standout performers; the other was Samuele Inacio. “He had some refreshing moments. That was a promising first-team debut,” said Book of the 18-year-old. In the closing stages, 16-year-old Mathis Albert came on – the third-youngest Bundesliga player to wear a BVB shirt after Youssoufa Moukoko and Nuri Sahin.

“What impresses me,” said Kovac of Inacio, “is the way he works so hard, how he trains – with dedication, with passion, with intensity. That’s exactly what I demand from young players who have a certain amount of talent. Alongside natural talent, they also need the talent for hard work.” Inacio demonstrates this week in, week out on the training ground. And that impresses a meticulous football coach like Kovac. “The same goes for Mathis Albert. He, too, is a talented young lad who played his first game today. I like the way they conduct themselves in training, and that’s why they’re being rewarded. I’m just the one who then gives them the opportunity.”Boris Rupert