Press review Mainz 05 v BVB: solid at the back, ruthless in attack | OneFootball

Even without the short-term dropout Serhou Guirassy, BVB wins 2:0 against FSV Mainz 05. In Kovac's 200th Bundesliga game as a coach, it was the fourth consecutive win without conceding a goal for Black and Yellow, which was not pretty, but consistently played, as can be read in the press analysis.

Is BVB becoming serious now, asks Oliver Fritsch in Zeit. The current one is characterized by solid defenders like Waldemar Anton instead of Bellingham or Haaland, in addition, players like Karim Adeyemi or Julian Brandt still have their special moments. Based on its new defensive stability installed by Kovac, BVB has now been unbeaten for thirteen games. This could indeed herald a race for the championship, Fritsch suspects.

In the Frankfurter Rundschau, Jan Christian Müller attests BVB "courage to ugliness", which however brings success. "No one doubts that a new attitude arrived in Dortmund on February 4," when Niko Kovac took over in Dortmund. His players have now internalized the necessary defense after a start-up period. Because BVB can replace the loss of Serhou Guirassy with national player Julian Brandt, victories like in Mainz are then achieved. The fact that this is achieved with ugly football of the brand "tight at the back, then just long forward and quickly afterwards" does not bother Niko Kovac and success proves him right.

Photo: IMAGO

Julian Brandt the Matchwinner in Mainz

BVB was "mercilessly efficient" in Mainz, says the WAZ and "defensively consistent". Coach Kovac secured his 90th victory 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 penetrating power, but they gladly accepted the Mainz invitations to counter. With the victory, they consolidate their new, old role as Bayern's number 1 chaser.

For the Ruhr Nachrichten, it was not one of the two goalscorers, but Julian Brandt who was the match winner in Mainz. Brandt had prepared both Dortmund goals, and had several other good scenes, even if he himself remained without fortune in the finish. In this form, Julian Brandt should be kept in Dortmund, but the question of his consistency has long been Brandt's companion.

First Paul Wanner only hit the post for Mainz, in the next scene BVB took the lead, reports the 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 dismissal for emergency brake by goalkeeper Robin Zentner. After that, the game was as good as decided. "BVB controlled (...) the game, but did not do more than necessary offensively." The only noteworthy thing afterwards was the debut of new signing Fabio Silva.

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