Borussia Dortmund against PSG: This is how BVB makes the final clear in Paris

ANALYSIS

Champions League
Hard work against millions and an (almost) impossible task: This is how BVB can crack Paris

Borussia Dortmund has one foot in the Champions League final. But the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain will be a lot of work again. This is how BVB can buy their ticket to Wembley.

Who would have thought that Borussia Dortmund would actually have a chance of reaching the Champions League final this year? Everything that still stands in the way of the black and yellow is Paris Saint-Germain and at least 90 minutes in the Prinzenpark. The 1-0 result from the first leg, which was as surprising as it was deserved, is a good starting point – but also a deceptive one. BVB will have to surpass themselves (once again) against the French champions. The games in the group phase and the first semi-final show: PSG is vulnerable. However, Dortmund must have four basic virtues on their side:

Courage: Attack is the best defense

In the first group game in Paris, BVB were shown their limits. They went home with a well-deserved 0:2 and were well served. The defeat was the worst possible start to the Champions League season. In retrospect, however, it is valuable for the analysis of PSG. Because it shows what the black and yellow are not allowed to play under any circumstances: scaredy-cat football. The plan to stand as low as possible in order to thwart the famous Paris offensive sounded obvious at first. But it turned out to be a mistake. Paris dominated the midfield and played patiently until the BVB defense collapsed under the pressure.

In the second leg of the group stage and in the first semi-final game, Dortmund did it bolder – and better. The defensive midfielders came out more aggressively and the Bundesliga team was able to reliably win the second balls. Paris’ possession football didn’t take place at all at times. Certainly a crucial point for last week’s victory.

Maloche: The strikers also have to contribute to the defensive bulwark

In order to see land against Paris, a lot of hard work will be necessary. PSG usually builds up through the two half positions in midfield, the match plan to score goals through the center completely failed in the first half in Dortmund. The French will not make this mistake again. In the second half there was a lot more going on the wings. Striker Kylian Mbappé also repeatedly dropped to the outside and then moved into the penalty area. BVB has to double down on these situations at the right moment; the defensive midfielders have to occupy the half space to prevent long-range shots. In the first leg, coach Edin Terzic’s team made it almost perfect. Also because the wingers Jadon Sancho and Karim Adeyemi worked incredibly hard at the back.

Support for the full-backs will be key to nipping the Paris attack in the bud. The catch: the gameplay is incredibly grueling. Last week, BVB ran almost ten kilometers more than their opponents. “If it’s necessary, we’ll run 20 kilometers more,” explained Terzic full-heartedly. It won’t be allowed to be much less.

The almost impossible task of balance: taking Mbappé out of the game and being a goal threat at the same time

Before the game, defense chief Mats Hummels praised his team’s defensive team spirit. Taking Mbappé out of the game would only be possible “together, only as a team”. Even if it is Hummels who has the most trouble with the exceptional player, he needs support. A duel against Mbappé has little chance of success. He has to be intercepted before he even starts dribbling. In the Ruhr area you would say: “Someone always has to be on his back.” It would probably be better if two players did this directly.

There wasn’t much to laugh about for BVB fans this Bundesliga season. The team wobbled too often and played bad football too often. But one statistic can be interpreted with a lot of benevolence based on a killer instinct: Dortmund were often extremely effective in front of the goal. The team won a few times despite a disastrous expected goals rating.

Means: BVB manages to score a goal out of no chance. Like in the first leg, when Niclas Füllkrug scored the golden 1-0 in the first half. He will probably be less involved in the second leg because Paris is trailing at home. It is all the more important that “Lücke” proves his instinct for goal with few chances.

Luck: Fortuna also has to wear black and yellow this evening

The center is tight, the midfield is aggressive, the wingers act as additional defenders – it could be that simple. But it is not. In order to make it to the final again after 2013, BVB will need a magical night – and will also have to test their luck. In the first leg they played an almost perfect game, but Paris still had a few chances, the biggest certainly going to Mbappé and Hakimi, who hit the post twice within seconds. If the French had equalized, it wouldn’t have been undeserved. But as the author Frank Goosen said: “Luck is with the stupid ones. And if the stupid ones are our stupid ones, it’s not luck, but the better playing system.”

Luck, hard work, courage: the second leg will demand everything from Dortmund. Even if the football god has a heart for touching stories, he is giving the BVB fans and legend Marco Reus a farewell after 12 years – at Wembley.