Borussia Dortmund star highlights everything they did wrong in the Union Berlin draw
Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel pulled no punches while delivering a scathing assessment of his side after their disapointing draw with Union Berlin on Saturday.
The BVB came away from their trip to the Stadion An der Alten frustrated, being held to a 0-0 stalemate by a surprisingly resolute Iron Ones.
After back-to-back slipups against Werder Bremen and Bodo/Glimt, Dortmund were widely expected to pick themselves up here given their phenomenal head-to-head record in the fixture.
What instead transpired, was another underwhelming game where they continued to struggle to turn possession and territorial dominance into meaningful goalscoring opportunities.
Kobel summed it up nicely after the game, honestly pointing out to everything wrong with the side right now. Addressing the media, the Swiss international said:
We didn’t do enough to create more problems for our opponents, to put pressure on them, to penetrate deeper into their half, or to threaten their goal from time to time. Ultimately, that's what we lacked today. Ultimately, you’re left with a scoreless draw, which is frustrating and painful.
The defense was Dortmund's saving grace, having held on tightly at the back to limit their chances whilst also nipping counter-attacks in the bud with perfectly-timed interventions.
As for Kobel, the BVB custodian didn't have to make a single save in the match and rode to an easy clean sheet, his fourth of the season in six games. It's the highest in the Bundesliga right now too.
However, it's the lack of attacking firepower which is increasingly becoming a cause for concern for head coach Niko Kovac as Dortmund have failed to score in their last two games now, while the two they bagged against Werder Bremen also came in the last 10 minutes of normal time.
Serhou Guirassy, the joint top-scorer in the side, has gone his last five appearances without a goal, the driest spell of his Dortmund career so far.
Suffice to say, all's not well in the Dortmund camp right now.
Blame it on the gruelling schedule for club and country that may have left many of their first-team stars knackered, or their continued, disjointed style of play, but the BVB's campaign has started to unravel sooner than expected.
The worst part is, they don't have enough time to rest and reflect either, with another six games coming thick and fast over the next 20 days, averaging one match every three days before November's international window.
