Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund in tense match-up — Player grades

Bayern Munich narrowly escape a complacent loss by edging Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at home, but Jupp Heynckes and his men were made to work in the second-half.

Manager Grade

Jupp Heynckes — B+

While the result looked more tense than it should have, Jupp did well with the pieces available. The first half saw Bayern Munich dominate Borussia Dortmund on the pitch. However, the home side were far too lethargic in comfort with their 2-0 lead in the second half. All in all, you couldn’t have asked more from Heynckes in squad selection.

Player Grades

GK, Sven Ulreich — C-

Nothing too much of note for Sven Ulreich until the latter stages of the match. The first-half saw him bored, if anything, with lack of action, albeit David Alaba bailed him out on one occassion. Once Dortmund piled on the pressure deep in the second-half, Ulreich made sure to keep from a late embarrassment. However, his failed grasp at Yarmolenko’s shot was his low for sure.

DEF, Joshua Kimmich — D

An unfortunately sub-par showing from Kimmich. Had Bayern Munich managed to see out a clean sheet, his grade would have been passable. However, he ultimately provided nothing significant up top, or in defense. Kimmich’s late reaction to press against the cross ultimately leading to Andriy Yarmolenko pulling one back was frustrating to watch.

DEF, Jerome Boateng — A-

The German stalwart had an overall strong showing. It’s a shame a clean sheet wasn’t kept to add to his prestige, but his individual contributions were crucial. His opening goal was hard-fought, and his work-rate in defense was generally commanding. Aside from him and Sule somehow allowing Shinji Kagawa to squeeze out a header, his efforts in the back were quality.

DEF, Niklas Sule — B-

The center-back understudy also put in a respectable performance. Sule was outshined by his center-half compatriot, Boateng, but this takes nothing away from him individually. His crossbar-rattling header was a missed opportunity, but his defensive work was admirable enough.

DEF, David Alaba — C+

The Austrian put in a decent display overall, with his score not being higher due to his part in Bayern’s late-show complacency. He was competent going forward, and mostly solid in defense, but the late goal by Yarmolenko can’t be ignored. Alaba’s highlight came after an initial brutal error which he excellently cleaned up himself with a last-gasp goal-line clearance. Subsequently, his low came after Kimmich failed to pressure the incoming assist, and Alaba leaving Yarmolenko totally free on goal.

MID, Javi Martinez — C+

Javi has been generally found more at home in his defensive-midfield slot. He was generally able to keep the peace and provide defensive work in shielding the back-line. This was mainly in the first-half, however. Like others around him, he ran out of gas and slowed down in the second-half. Perhaps he would have done better being part of a defensive-midfield partnership instead of having Vidal allowed to run wild.

MID, Franck Ribery — C-

Ribery unfortunately showed his frustrations this time again. The Frenchman did mange to create a couple of notable enough chances, but these ultimately didn’t come of anything. He is unfortunately starting to show his age on the field. Franck seems to be becoming easier to defend against for the opposition.

MID, Arturo Vidal — C-

Arturo Vidal did manage to look energetic on the field. He occasionally put in a well-worked tackle, but ultimately not enough to overlook his rashness. Vidal seemed to be running across the pitch without much regard to properly tracking back. This, of course, lead to classic Vidal fouls plaguing his performance.

MID, James Rodriguez — C+

James, to his credit, roamed all over the pitch to distribute as best he could. The Colombian put in a work-horse effort in his vastly accurate passing. He was unlucky not to notch an assist after an excellent free-kick to Sule early on. Not his best game, with him just lacking that final clinical touch. However, his clean passing was appreciated.

MID, Thomas Muller — B+

It has been pleasant seeing Muller put in rewarding displays. The Bayern Munich poster-boy has been quietly picking up his form over the last few matches. Muller assisted Lewandowski against Cologne, scored the decider against Stuttgart and now scored again against Dortmund. After providing a great chance to Vidal early, he seemed to go a bit quiet. Just before the end of the half, he made his mark and narrowly missed a brace due to Roman Burki’s amazing save early in the second 45.

FWD, Robert Lewandowski — C+

Despite this not being Lewandowski’s best game, he managed to make a mark. His deft lay-off to Muller for the second goal was surely noted. Unfortunately, this is what saved his performance from being any worse. The Polish striker failed to convert when given the chance, namely with a golden one early in the first half. Maybe the blame can be shared with himself as well as those who should be providing for him.

Next: Bayern Munich make progress on Sandro Wagner deal

Subs

MID, Kingsley Coman — N/A

Coman’s second-half sub did not give the injection of pace into Bayern Munich’s attack as hoped. However, with Bayern becoming lethargic in general in the second-half, scoring his display wouldn’t be fair.

MID, Corentin Tolisso — N/A

Tolisso’s late inclusion doesn’t merit a grade either.

MID, Sebastian Rudy — N/A

With just under 10 minutes to play, Rudy’s display doesn’t deserve scoring.