"Nonsense lineup" - Fans react as Dortmund unveil starting XI for Hoffenheim clash
Borussia Dortmund have unveiled their official starting lineup to face Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Head coach Niko Kovac has reinstated many of the first-team stars into the XI after resting them for the DFB-Pokal clash against fifth-tier HEBC.
Gregor Kobel takes his place between the sticks again, while Waldemar Anton, Joane Gadou and Filippo Mane form the back-three for tonight.
Felix Nmecha and Jobe Bellingham start as central midfielders with summer signing Joey Veerman back on the bench. Daniel Svensson and Julian Ryerson take their place as marauding full-backs.
With Giannis Konstantelias injured and Samuele Inacio suspended, Maximilian Beier stars with Konstantinos Karetsas behind lone striker Serhou Guirassy.
Despite a strong lineup, a lot of fans seemed discontent with some of the selections here, and took to X to make their thoughts known:
This X user wasn't happy to see deadline day signing Ethan Nwaneri on the bench:
Nonsense lineup, why aren't Nwaneri or Albert playing? Typical Kovac, no balls.
The sentiment was echoed by this user too:
Jobe again & no Nwaneri 🤣
Another fan felt it would have been with one particular player in the lineup:
Get Joey in there too, and then it's a great starting XI.
With Fabio Silva back on the bench, one fan had a question for Kovac:
Why does he hate Fabio Silva?😂
Another X user wrote:
Honestly, Jobe is great when he plays as an attacking number 8, but he still gets a lot of hate. It’s simply a matter of position; he isn’t a number 6 for the build-up play.
One fan though, was happy to see Beier:
Awesome. Beier up front—that’s where he belongs. Hopefully, he seizes the opportunity.
One fan wrote:
There’s honestly always something to grumble about here.
This user was happy to see Filippo Mane back in the lineup:
I can live with that—thankfully not Sabitzer.
Mané in the starting XI—wooo!
Amidst the criticisms, one X user had some words of motivation for the squad:
All right, give it your all—and always score one more than the guys on the other side of the pitch.
This fan appears to have a strong aversion for Marcel Sabitzer:
It pisses me off just seeing Sabitzer's name—whether he's in the starting XI or on the bench.
The feeling was shared by this user too:
No Sabitzer—we are absolutely ready for this.
Another fan who tweeted he wanted to see Veerman:
I would have preferred to see Veerman; otherwise, good.
