Borussia Dortmund

When Cristiano Ronaldo bagged his fourth Ballon d'Or trophy on Monday, it hardly came as a surprise. After winning the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid and Euro 2016 with Portugal, his win was a foregone conclusion.

In more of a surprise, Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came in 11th, per Eurosport.com's Dan Quarrell, making the 27-year-old the highest-ranked Bundesliga player on the list.

Given his Black and Yellows failed to win any silverware in the 2015/16 season and the Gabon international had no summer tournament to make an impression on voters—unlike Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski and Arturo Vidal, who came in 16th and 14th, respectively—Aubameyang's ranking seems somewhat curious.

It was only the second time a Dortmund player received any votes in the Ballon d'Or ranking since 2010, with Lewandowski coming in 13th in 2013, when his four goals against Los Blancos in the semi-finals paved the way for the Ruhr side's reaching the Champions League final against Bayern in Wembley.

It is hardly shocking BVB players have not received many votes over the last few years, seeing as Dortmund are a comparatively small club in the global context and they have not won a major trophy since the DFB-Pokal in 2012.

Winning the most prestigious individual award was out of the question over those years anyway, with the incredible Lionel Messi and Ronaldo splitting the spoils since 2008.

However, the duopoly of the two all-time greats will have to come to an end at some point in the not-too-distant future, as Sam Pilger detailed for Bleacher Report. The Argentine will be 30 at the end of the season, and Ronaldo turns 32 in February.

Neither shows too many signs of slowing down, but, eventually, father time catches up to everyone. It will open up the Ballon d'Or to a wider range of players, and Dortmund have one man in their ranks who could benefit.

Ousmane Dembele has been tipped to win the award at some point during his career before, and he certainly fits the bill as a potential laureate down the road, as B/R's Dean Jones suggested in the video below:

Former Premier League defender Mikael Silvestre put the Ballon d'Or into play for Dembele in January 2016, telling French paper France Football (h/t Andrew Gibney of FourFourTwo.com): "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that he can win the Ballon d'Or. I saw Cristiano Ronaldo at the same age at Manchester United, and Ousmane has the characteristics that remind me of a young Cristiano."

At the time, Dembele was an 18-year-old with only a handful of Ligue 1 matches for Stade Rennes under his belt, but his career trajectory over the last 11 months lends credence to Silvestre, Rennes' sporting director.

Capturing his signature was a massive success for Dortmund, who beat out interest from Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Leicester City, Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern, per Ed Aarons of the Guardian.

Dembele signing for Dortmund a coup for the Bundesliga. Shows BVB's determination, and the appeal league has to players beyond Bayern.

— Rory Smith (@RorySmith) May 12, 2016

The 19-year-old has largely made good on his incredibly promising talent during his first few months at the Westfalenstadion, a few natural hiccups and up and downs notwithstanding.

He has been fairly productive with four goals and a team-leading 10 assists across all competitions, while playing more minutes than all but four team-mates, per Transfermarkt.com. Only defensive leader Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Aubameyang, midfield metronome Julian Weigl and utility man Matthias Ginter have played more than Dembele.

Those numbers are impressive for such a young player, especially considering the circumstances of a move to a different country, culture and league—and a much bigger club. Even more impressive, though, is the manner in which the Frenchman has developed during his short time with the Black and Yellows.

He has made important strides as a team-player, contributing more and more to the side when the opponent is on the ball and improving his decision-making as the season has gone on.

Whereas he was at times infuriating to watch earlier in the campaign, when he would take on a fifth defender after going past four instead of passing to a team-mate in an excellent position, he has become much more effective in recent weeks.

That learning aptitude is perhaps the biggest reason why he has developed into a regular starter for Thomas Tuchel earlier than many expected.

More than anything, though, Dembele is incredibly fun to watch. His loose hips, effortless acceleration and creative thinking make him a devastating dribbler who provides highlight-reel fodder in almost every match, as the video below shows:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO0H9xR-eNc

Looking ahead to a potential Ballon d'Or campaign in the future, his spectacular playing style should serve Dembele well with voters who naturally will remember highlights better than understated efficiency. After all, there is a reason attacking players have won it every year since Italian centre-back Fabio Cannavaro bagged the 2006 Ballon d'Or.

Dembele has all the tools to fill a potential post-Messi-and-Ronaldo vacuum.

In this year's Top 10, only Leicester's Riyad Mahrez, Barcelona's Neymar and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann are younger than 26. Assuming Messi and Ronaldo hold the fort for another three or four years, it stands to reason a player just starting his international career will be entering his prime when the award is up for grabs.

With that, Dembele has all the time in the world to become more consistent in his performances. Lest one forgets, the France international was only 10 years old the last time someone other than Messi and Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or.

Of course, it is highly unlikely he can win the award while playing for Dortmund. The Black and Yellows will never be able to compete with Europe's elite for a sustained period of time; the financial gap between genuine superpowers and the Ruhr side will remain insurmountable.

Then again, it seems equally improbable Dembele will spend too many years at the Westfalenstadion. As a generational talent with superstar potential, Dortmund presumably are more stepping stone than final destination for Dembele.

While he signed a contract until 2021 in the summer, it seems inevitable he will move to one of European football's giant clubs before too long. Every big club will be after his signature whenever he is ready to leave Dortmund, who have showed before they are ready to cash in on players they have developed successfully.

Playing for, say, Real or Barca, who have provided the winners 12 times since the turn of the millennium, would leave the door to the Ballon d'Or wide open for Dembele, who has looked destined for greatness ever since debuting in Ligue 1 in November 2015.

Dortmund fans should consider themselves lucky they are along for the ride for the time being.

                                                  

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter. 

January 1 and, with it, the opening of the transfer window is rapidly approaching; the start of the silly season is almost upon us.

For fans of Borussia Dortmund, that will most likely mean a month of speculation surrounding players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Christian Pulisic, even though it is out of the question that the Ruhr side will let go of either.

It could still be an active time for the club's decision-makers, though. There are a few players who could leave the Westfalenstadion after only playing small roles during the first half of the season, be it Neven Subotic, Nuri Sahin or Shinji Kagawa.

They also have to look at bringing in reinforcements, given their up-and-down campaign to this point. With a tricky away fixture against unbeaten 1899 Hoffenheim scheduled for Friday, the sixth-placed Black and Yellows could spend the winter break outside of the UEFA Champions League spots in the Bundesliga.

As suggested in an earlier piece, a midfielder such as Mahmoud Dahoud could help the team's woes in possession, while Dortmund could also try to sign a centre-back to remedy some defensive frailties.

A position that does not register as too high a priority for the winter window is striker, but, somewhat curiously, the hottest transfer rumour revolves around Dortmund's front line: FC Krasnodar's Fedor Smolov has been linked to the Westfalenstadion for a while.

The 26-year-old fuelled those rumours earlier in December, appearing on Russian TV channel Match TV. "There is one team for which I would be willing to leave Krasnodar in the winter," he said, per Manuel Veth of Futbolgrad.com, adding that it is a team from Germany.

Russian sport paper Championat (h/t Toke Theilade of RussianFootballNews.com) reported Dortmund are close to sealing the deal, albeit with Smolov only moving to the club after the end of the season. 

Leading media in Germany have yet to pick up on the story, casting some doubt on the veracity of the reports from Russia, but Smolov is too interesting a player to discard the rumour just like that.

Here, Bleacher Report takes a look at what the striker would bring to the Westfalenstadion.

                                

Positional Fit at Dortmund

Aubameyang and Adrian Ramos represent perhaps the best one-two punch of strikers in the Bundesliga. The Gabonese has been on fire this season, scoring 19 goals in 20 appearances across all competitions.

While Ramos is often viewed with some scrutiny by the club's fanbase, the Colombian has been a solid contributor under head coach Thomas Tuchel when used as a striker and not on the wings. The former Hertha BSC forward has scored three goals in seven starts this season and assisted Marco Reus' vital equaliser against Cologne on the weekend.

However, Ramos will turn 31 on January 22 and was reportedly close to moving to China in the winter window of last season until the Ruhr side pulled the plug on a transfer, per Thomas Hennecke of sport magazine Kicker (link in German).

It would not be too surprising to see the Colombian push for a financially lucrative move soon, whether it is in January or the summer. Dortmund could be inclined to let go of Ramos in order to find a younger upgrade at the position. Smolov could provide just that.

Perhaps more importantly, the Russia international does not have to play as a lone striker. He has vast experience playing on the wings of a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 alignment. He really only became a regular starter up front when he moved to FC Ural Yekaterinburg on loan from Dynamo Moscow in 2014.

His scoring contribution exploded at Krasnodar, where he has played since 2015, having scored 39 goals in 62 matches across all competitions for the club from southern Russia.

                                

Qualities

As those impressive numbers indicate, Smolov has a knack for goals. He can score in a variety of ways, often needing only one touch thanks to his good positioning in the penalty box.

As the video below shows, his shooting technique also allows him to be dangerous from range, making him a constant source of unease for defenders:

It would be wrong to characterise the 26-year-old as a pure finisher, however. On the contrary, he is quite involved in attacking moves for Krasnodar, his experience playing around a front man clearly paying off.

He will appear anywhere across the front line for his team even when deployed as the classic No. 9 in the middle, allowing team-mates to make runs into the most advanced spaces on the pitch. Because he is so dangerous from almost anywhere, defenders tend to follow him around, which can cause confusion in the centre.

Applied to Dortmund, that could mean evasive movement from Smolov puts someone like Reus or Ousmane Dembele in a position to score.

The Westfalenstadion crowd got a taste of this potential strategy last season, when the two teams played against each other in the UEFA Europa League group stage.

In the video below, Smolov moved to the left wing, got past right-back Matthias Ginter with a nice piece of footwork and played a perfect pass to Pavel Mamaev:

The dribble against Ginter showed a general strength of Smolov's. He combines the physicality of a man of 187 cm with the quick hips and feet of a shifty winger. He holds up well in duels against imposing defenders and has the agility to get past them on the ground.

His technique is arguably better than Aubameyang's, who—for all his amazing qualities—has a somewhat erratic first touch and does not particularly excel in close encounters with centre-backs when playing with his back to goal.

Smolov does well in those situations, shielding the ball with his physicality, snatching it out of the air with his technique and processing it with his agility. The video below is exemplary of his work as a target man:

Importantly, his contributions are not solely focused on attacking.

If you want to play in the Bundesliga and, especially, for Tuchel, you had better put in the necessary work when the opponent is on the ball. 

Smolov does his share of grunt work from the striker position, whether it is running at defenders in the buildup or closing down opponents in counter-pressing after losing the ball.

In the video below, his dedicated effort prevents a potential counter-attack in the dying moments of a frustrating goalless draw against mid-table side Ufa FK.

                            

Remaining Questions

While he has the quality to play for a club of Dortmund's calibre, a few questions about Smolov remain. For starters, he will be 27 in February, making him little over six months younger than Aubameyang.

With the star striker repeatedly hinting at an exit from the Westfalenstadion at some point in the not-too-distant future, Dortmund would do well to sign a younger striker to learn as a back-up before taking over from the Gabonese whenever he leaves for greener pastures.

There is also the matter of a potential culture shock for Smolov, who has spent all but half a season in the Russian Premier League—in 2010, he spent six largely forgettable months with Feyenoord.

Russian players rarely leave their home country, and those who have made the jump to other European Leagues have enjoyed mixed success at best. For every Roman Pavlyuchenko becoming a cult hero for Tottenham Hotspur, as Thomas Cooper detailed for B/R, there was a Yuri Zhirkov not cutting it at Chelsea.

Dortmund would need to be certain Smolov can handle the change in culture, language and league before making a significant investment. Veth supposed Krasnodar could sell him "for between €15 million and €20 million," which "would allow Krasnodar to make much-needed investments in their squad."

Going by his qualities, Smolov would be worth such a price. He could be a strong back-up for Aubameyang or play together with the Gabonese in a way Tuchel has mostly unsuccessfully tried with Ramos.

If he does not go to Dortmund, Smolov should improve another team in one of Europe's better leagues.

                             

All performance data via Transfermarkt.com

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter. 

The luck of the draw was seemingly on Borussia Dortmund's side on Monday, as the Ruhr club were paired with Portuguese champions Benfica for the round of 16 of the Champions League.

The Eagles are by no means an easy opponent to play against, but, considering the alternatives—Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla and Porto—fans and officials can be fairly happy with the draw.

Benfica came second in Group B, behind Napoli but ahead of Besiktas and Dynamo Kiev, benefiting from a 6-0 win of the Ukrainians against the Turkish champions on the final matchday. They lost 2-1 to Napoli at home themselves, ending the group with only eight points and a level goal difference of 10-10.

Dortmund, of course, won Group F ahead of Real Madrid, Legia Warsaw and Benfica's city rivals Sporting CP, setting a new Champions League record by scoring 21 goals during the group stage. They especially impressed in the direct matchups with Los Blancos, coming back from behind and earning 2-2 draws in both meetings.

The Black and Yellows faced Benfica once before, eliminating a team built around the great Eusebio in the first round of the 1963/64 European Cup. The Portuguese legend did not play in the return fixture at Dortmund's old ground Rote Erde due to a knee injury, with his absence perhaps partially explaining the heavy 5-0 defeat for Benfica.

The Ruhr side scored three goals in a matter of four minutes in the first half, and striker Franz Brungs ended up with a hat-trick in what was indubitably Dortmund's greatest European night at the time.

Team captain Marcel Schmelzer reminded of the previous meeting with Benfica in a press release on Monday: "The game brings up memories of the recently departed BVB legend Aki Schmidt, who played for BVB in the win over Benfica in the 'Game of the Century' in 1963."

Both clubs have added many more magical nights over the past 50 years, even though Benfica had to endure a number of crushing defeats in finals. They were runners-up in no fewer than six seasons across the European Cup, the UEFA Cup and the Europa League. 

The curse of Bela Guttman seems to harrow the Eagles. "Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champion," the Hungarian coach allegedly said when he left after a contract dispute in 1962, per Daniella Matar of The Independent.

Chances are Benfica will not be able to follow the Chicago Cubs in lifting their curse this season—the Cubs won their first World Series since 1908 in October, overcoming the Curse of the Billy Goat. The Eagles are far from the perennial superpower they represented a few decades ago.

Head coach Rui Vitoria leads a squad without big names. Thirty-seven-year-old back-up goalkeeper Julio Cesar may well be the best-known player on the team, while 35-year-old centre-back Luisao is in his 14th season at the Estadio da Luz after moving to Portugal from Brazil in 2003.

Apart from the veteran defender, it is a fairly young team with players in their early-to-mid 20s forming a talented nucleus.

Goalkeeper Ederson (23), full-backs Alejandro Grimaldo (21) and Nelson Semedo (23), as well as centre-back Victor Lindelof (22), all seem destined to make a move to one of Europe's bigger clubs fairly soon. Duncan Castles of the Mirror reported earlier in December that Swedish defender Lindelof tops Jose Mourinho's list of transfer targets for Manchester United in the winter.

It would be far from the first time the Eagles cashed in on one of their talents, as they have regularly sold players over the last few years. Between Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak and Nico Gaitan, Barcelona's Andre Gomes or Bayern's Renato Sanches, a lot of quality has left the Estadio da Luz recently.

Of course, Dortmund would be wise not to underestimate their opponents in the round of 16, regardless of Benfica's unimpressive performances in the group stage.

Having won three Portuguese championships in a row, they are again top of the table. Beating Sporting in a heated Lisbon derby at the weekend, Benfica now hold a four-point advantage over second-placed Porto in their quest for a fourth title in as many years.

Benfica have scored the most goals in Primeira Liga with 29 in 13 matches, but it is their defensive stability that could cause Dortmund trouble come the new year.

German fans may remember Benfica going toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals last season, when they only lost 1-0 at the Allianz Arena and managed a 2-2 draw at home against Pep Guardiola's men.

Defending in a compact 4-4-2 shape, Vitoria's side were content leaving the ball to Bayern and focusing on not allowing them to move it into dangerous spaces on the pitch. They created danger from counter-attacks when they won the ball off Bayern, scoring the opener through Mexican attacker Raul Jimenez after 27 minutes.

Dortmund at times struggle with teams that form massive defensive blocks and put pressure on their buildup players while crowding passing lanes, and Benfica have that kind of structure.

Thomas Tuchel and his staff will have to come up with solutions. It could be an advantage that Dortmund faced Porto and Sporting this year, as they will surely have watched those teams against Benfica as a part of their preparation.

Ultimately, the Black and Yellows have to be considered favourites against the Eagles. They have the edge in terms of individual quality and have played a much-stronger Champions League campaign so far.

Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC expects the Ruhr side to go through, calling it a tie "between a good team and one who are that bit better." He added: "It should mean the two legs are entertaining, but not that unpredictable."  

They also have the advantage of playing the second leg at home, even though Gabriele Marcotti pointed out for ESPN FC that the side playing away in the first leg advanced on only 16 of 30 occasions in the Champions League over the last five seasons, rendering the home-field advantage in the return leg less significant than one would perhaps think.

However, Dortmund have looked far more comfortable at home than on the road this season, for example, beating Bayern Munich in the Westfalenstadion in the Bundesliga in November. The Black and Yellows welcomed Benfica to their home ground via Twitter after the draw:

Your destination in March, @SLBenfica! Looking forward to welcoming you to the German capital of football! #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/b9DVQXISMv

— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) December 12, 2016

If nothing else, the two meetings on February 14 and March 8 should make for fantastic atmospheres. Both the Estadio da Luz and the Westfalenstadion are known to have loud crowds and offer two of the most spectacular backdrops in all of European football.

It should be the perfect stage for Dortmund to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2014. They cannot underestimate Benfica, but they enter the round of 16 as distinct favourites.

                          

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.

Borussia Dortmund left it late for the second time in four days, Marco Reus' stoppage-time equaliser earning them one point on Bundesliga Matchday 14 at Cologne. 

Unlike the late 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, however, the 1-1 at Cologne on Saturday hardly served as cause for celebration.

While it again proved the positive mentality of Thomas Tuchel's side, the match in the Rhineland also reminded fans just how fragile every positive development for the Black and Yellows is at this stage of the season. It seems as though for every step forward, they will take two steps back in the next match.

Dortmund's head coach addressed the fickle nature of his team's performances in his post-match press conference, saying his side's "development is clear and it’s normal that there are bumps along the way."

Those bumps, however, appear at an alarming rate for the Ruhr side, who look downright ordinary away from home this season.

They had a 5-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg in a game that could easily have been a 5-6 defeat if not for a majestic performance from Roman Burki in goal and a 5-2 win at Hamburger SV, when the hosts' self-inflicted wounds gifted Dortmund a win. 

Other than that, though, their form away from home is cause for worry. Defeats at RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt, as well as draws at Ingolstadt and now Cologne are indicative of how every away trip seems to be a struggle for Dortmund this season.

Their latest trip on Saturday should not have been overly problematic. Cologne missed a number of key starters through injury, including first-choice goalkeeper Timo Horn, defensive leader Dominic Maroh and influential right-winger Marcel Risse.

Due to that injury crisis, the Rhinelanders had lost a lot of the momentum that carried them over the start of the campaign, dropping points against lowly Augsburg and suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat at 1899 Hoffenheim on the previous matchday.

Sure enough, Dortmund were in control to start the match, looking assured in their possession game with a lot of fluidity in the way they covered spaces and positions. Even without too many scoring opportunities, it seemed a matter of time before they would convert their dominance into a deserved lead.

Then came the 28th minute and the latest in a series of cheap, avoidable goals Dortmund give away with regularity on the road this season. Marcel Schmelzer took a heavy touch, turning the ball over to Pawel Olkowski. The team captain then failed to keep his composure and rushed into a challenge that gifted Cologne a free-kick.

Germany international Jonas Hector delivered the ball into the box, where Artjoms Rudnevs found himself with acres of space.

Perhaps it was because Dortmund had to make a defensive substitution the minute before, with Marc Bartra replacing Lukasz Piszczek at right centre-back in a back three, but the utter lack of communication that left the Latvian striker wide open with at least four defenders surrounding him from a safe distance was staggering.

Roman Weidenfeller, who had put in a fantastic performance at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, looked his 36 years of age in his attempt to parry Rudnevs' header that had precision but not pace.

However you look at it, the goal was as avoidable as they come. It was especially maddening because chasing a game against Cologne, who boast one of the best-organised defences in the Bundesliga, isn't easy.

Borussia Dortmund have conceded first in each of their last 5 games across all competitions.

Slow starters. pic.twitter.com/Y4gZZqt5eE

— Squawka (@Squawka) December 10, 2016

Tuchel acknowledged as much after the match, per the club's official website, noting his side "were aware beforehand that it can be very important to take the lead," as Cologne "can defend in a very unpleasant and disciplined way."

With that, of course, he referenced the hosts' robust playing style, as well as their effective time-wasting in the final 20-odd minutes. Cologne amassed 26 fouls, per German sport magazine Kicker (link in German), and were at least a little fortunate to spend all but the final seconds of the game with 11 men.

Salih Ozcan was sent off in the dying moments of the match, a fate that could easily have befallen team-mate Marco Hoger in the 72nd minute. The midfielder's rather brutal foul knocked Sokratis Papastathopoulos out of the game, meaning all three of Tuchel's substitutions were forced on by injuries.

Dortmund could also have had two penalties in the match, as Sokratis was caught by the outstretched foot of Dominique Heintz at the hour mark and Mergim Mavraj stopped a ball with his arm 12 minutes from time.

The Black and Yellows star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had a forgettable 90 minutes by his lofty standards, took to social media to voice his displeasure with the performance of referee Felix Zwayer:

What a Nice Referee 👍🏽😡

— AUBA⚡️ (@Auba) December 10, 2016

To be fair, Cologne also had their gripes with the refereeing team, seeing as they were twice wrongly flagged offside in promising attacking situations.

At any rate, Dortmund would do well not to look for excuses for their failure to come away with three points. Frankly, they hardly deserved to come away with one point.

They were naturally dominant in terms of possession, but they rarely managed to convert that into dangerous situations, let alone clear-cut scoring opportunities.

Against Cologne's massive defensive block following the hosts' goal, they lacked the creativity and accuracy to get into the right positions. Per WhoScored.com, Aubameyang did not register a single shot in the game, while Ousmane Dembele had only one attempt.

Together with Reus, they had formed a mesmerising attacking trident against Borussia Monchengladbach on the previous matchday, and the difference against Cologne was night and day.

Dembele did create the equaliser with determination on the flank, finding substitute Adrian Ramos. The Colombian played a cutback to Reus who would not miss from 12 yards out, but it was the only time Dortmund put together an attacking move to lever out Cologne's back line.

Due to the injuries to Raphael Guerreiro, Mario Gotze and Shinji Kagawa, there is a distinct lack of creativity in Dortmund's midfield. Then again, Guerreiro has only played four matches in the centre, while neither Gotze nor Kagawa have been brilliant this season.

Still, without their playmaking potential, the Ruhr side struggles to break down opponents who do not make mistakes themselves.

The trip to Cologne made it abundantly clear that this Dortmund team is not good enough to carry players who are struggling for form or simply are not that talented to begin with.

Gonzalo Castro, for example, was arguably the worst player on the pitch, looking as though he ran in quicksand and making wrong decisions over and over. ESPN FC's Stefan Buczko rated him three out of 10, and chances are he would have been taken off even without injuring his ribs.

The problem is, his replacement was Sebastian Rode, who hardly did better, earning a four out of 10 from Buczko. Once again, the former Bayern Munich midfielder added nothing to his side's attack, avoiding creative forward passes like a vampire staying out of the sunlight.

Dortmund could perhaps overcome having one poor performer in their team on any given day, but, against Cologne, they had a number of them.

Per WhoScored, Erik Durm completed only 66 per cent of his passes from the right-wing-back spot and seemed to be assigned to covering Rudnevs before Cologne's goal.

Schmelzer made the costly double mistake before that goal and failed to provide his usual drive forward on the left wing.

Dembele looked mentally tired after two draining performances in central roles against Gladbach and Real.

Current mood: pic.twitter.com/56R6RqVfdK

— BVB in DC (@BVBinDC) December 10, 2016

Even Sokratis, the team's best and most consistent player this season, looked awkward in a number of situations, getting blown off the ball by Rudnevs or letting the ball bounce instead of clearing it.

Tuchel chose to focus on the positive, lauding his team's never-say-die attitude in his press conference.

"We have a lot to learn, and we possibly also need to learn how to handle it when the going gets tough," the 43-year-old said. "But after today’s match I want to stay clear of what we still have to learn. We never gave up and picked up a point."

Thanks to other results on the matchday, including a draw between Frankfurt and Hoffenheim and defeats for Leipzig and Hertha BSC, that point was not a bad result for Dortmund.

But it cannot gloss over another poor showing on the road.

                               

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.

If there is one position group that reflects Borussia Dortmund's up-and-down nature in the first half of the 2016/17 campaign, it is the centre-backs.

While Sokratis Papastathopoulos has arguably been the team's player of the season to this point, his partners in the heart of defence have not performed at a consistent level a club of the Black and Yellows' standing has to expect.

The Greece international has been a rock in the back line, developing into an emotional leader after team captain Mats Hummels left for Bayern Munich in the summer.

Marc Bartra was the only addition to the stable of central defenders following Hummels' departure, with the 25-year-old joining for a modest €8 million fee from FC Barcelona. Early returns were positive, with the Spaniard providing fine ball-playing qualities and athleticism during pre-season friendlies and the first few matches of the campaign.

However, he has not been the same after a torn abductor muscle kept him out of action for almost a month between September and October. Since his return from that injury, Bartra has made a number of simple mistakes leading to scoring chances or even goals. His weak headed clearance into the middle gifted Borussia Monchengladbach's Raffael a goal on Bundesliga Matchday 13, for example.

A few nervy touches and ill-timed losses of possession when he steps up the field to be more engaged in the team's buildup show how Bartra seems to be almost too keen to do well, as head coach Thomas Tuchel indicated in a press conference ahead of the Gladbach match, as relayed by football writer Stefan Buczko on Twitter:

Tuchel: "Bartra puts a lot of pressure on himself. He behaves exceptionally professionally." #BVBBMG

— Stefan Buczko (@StefanBuczko) December 2, 2016

Matthias Ginter is the other central defender receiving a lot of playing time so far and, while he has benefited from a first extended run at his natural position since joining the Westfalenstadion side in 2014, the 22-year-old's lack of experience is obvious time and time again.

With Dortmund struggling for consistency on the whole, carrying a player such as Ginter is a luxury they can hardly afford in most of their matches.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner—by name only, as he did not see the field in Brazil—should be a high-upside back-up and not a player a team of Dortmund's calibre has to rely on in important fixtures.

Now, it would be too easy and unfair to blame the club's defensive frailties on the centre-backs—or, really, the entire defence—alone, but there is little doubt that the position is one where Tuchel needs to see improvements during the rest of the season.

But how could Dortmund solve their issues at the heart of defence?

                     

Tactics

When the starting XI for Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Real Madrid was announced, the big surprise was not that Ousmane Dembele played in an unusual role as a central midfielder.

It was that Tuchel moved away from the back three/back five hybrid that had given Dortmund some much-needed defensive stability in games against Bayern Munich or Gladbach. With Real's focus on playing over the wings, a broad defensive stance seemed like a natural fit.

Sure enough, the Ruhr side conceded both goals over the flanks, where crossers Daniel Carvajal and James Rodriguez found too much space. In the box, meanwhile, Karim Benzema successfully evaded his markers for both goals, something he would have found more difficult to do had Tuchel played with three centre-backs again.

"Our defensive game left a lot to be desired today," he said after the match, per Raphael Honigstein for ESPN FC, perhaps realising he did not help the team by moving away from the comforts of a more massive defensive block.

Given both their defensive struggles and their problems in the buildup, Dortmund's boss should stick with a back three for the time being. It allows Sokratis to play in the middle, from where he can serve as an anchor for the inexperienced Ginter and Bartra, who may be 25 years old but never was more than a stopgap option for the Blaugrana.

With more protection behind them, both the German and the Catalan can situationally step up into midfield roles, unfurling their potential on the ball and giving the team an even bigger numerical advantage over the opposition.

However, given Bartra's propensity to give the ball away in recent weeks, Tuchel could also limit the danger of counter-attacks by enforcing more positional discipline and demanding he stay back and play more of a role in the early setup of attacking moves. 

                    

Transfers

It is entirely possible that Dortmund's personnel beside Sokratis is simply not that good. There are reasons why Bartra never developed into a regular for Barcelona despite showing impressive technical and physical tools.

There are also reasons Tuchel was reluctant to play Ginter at centre-back before he had to when injuries mounted up this season.

Lest we forget, the 43-year-old pushed for the signing of a more experienced defender when Hummels left for his boyhood club in the summer.

Bayer Leverkusen's Omer Toprak was the No. 1 target then, with the Rhinelanders sporting director Rudi Voller telling German broadcaster Sport1 (h/t Press Association Sport for ESPN FC) in August that Dortmund failed to meet their asking price for the Turkey international.

"We owed it to him that we would listen to any offer, and he had this offer from Dortmund, but it didn't work out," Voller said.

The 27-year-old can reportedly leave for a bargain €12 million in the summer thanks to a release clause, with German tabloid Sport Bild (link in German) saying he will sign an already negotiated deal with the Black and Yellows in January.

However, one could argue that is going to be too late for a Dortmund side that will have to improve in the Bundesliga just to make the Champions League next season. The club's decision-makers should at least consider making an offer for a switch in the January transfer window, even if Leverkusen are unlikely to let go of Toprak six months early.

They themselves are in a tricky situation in the league, sitting ninth in the table and a whopping seven points behind the Europa League ranks at the moment. 

Seeing as Toprak is also cup-tied in the Champions League, it seems improbable that Dortmund will pay a premium to get him in January when they have a deal in place for the summer. If that is truly the case, the Black and Yellows will certainly not sign any other central defenders during the winter transfer window.

                                   

Wild Card: Sven Bender

Dortmund have not been able to tap into their full defensive personnel so far, with experienced options Neven Subotic and Sven Bender missing the first months of the season through injuries.

Former Serbia international Subotic seems on his way out—he would not even still be at the Westfalenstadion had he not failed a medical at Middlesbrough, per Anthony Vickers of the Evening Gazette.

Bender, however, figures to have a role under Tuchel and could be a part of the solution to the team's problems at the centre-back spot.

Making a successful transition from defensive midfielder to central defender after the coaching change from Jurgen Klopp to Tuchel, the 27-year-old even overtook Sokratis in the pecking order for stretches of last season.

As The Yellow Wall's Lewis Ambrose pointed out on Twitter, Bender's importance came as a surprise to many:

https://twitter.com/LGAmbrose/status/702124302691336192

He proved to be a better fit next to Hummels, thanks to his calm nature and a conservative approach to the position. Sokratis and Hummels often covered the same spaces with their proactive way of defending on the front foot to intercept balls high up the pitch, often leading to the team's defensive third being exposed.

While not an overly exciting pairing, partnering Sokratis with Bender could give the team some much-needed stability and battle-tested experience at the heart of defence. Thanks to his past as a defensive midfielder, Bender's contributions to the buildup are at least serviceable.

His biggest problem is a distinct proneness to injury, as he has missed the entire season so far after picking up a foot problem on international duty with Germany at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Per Thursday's edition of German sport paper Kicker, Bender could make his season debut in one of the last matches before the Bundesliga embarks on its annual winter hiatus.

Relying on Bender to stay healthy is a dangerous proposition, but Tuchel may have no other choice.

                             

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.

Considering both Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 before Wednesday evening, the final match of the group stage could have been a real snoozefest.

Both sides could have been happy with a draw from the first whistle. Los Blancos would benefit from coming in second in Group F after both FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid won their groups, seeing as they would avoid perhaps the toughest draw in Bayern Munich, a team they have struggled with at times in the past.

For Dortmund, on the other hand, avoiding Barca and Los Colchoneros was preferable, while topping a group with perennial Champions League favourites Real was also a question of pride and prestige.

Sure enough, the game ended in a 2-2 draw both sides would probably have signed off on before kick-off. For Real, it also meant they matched the club record of 34 matches without a defeat, per Spanish publication AS. 

One look at the starting XIs, however, revealed that neither side were playing for a draw. It was more of a happy coincidence than a natural consequence. Dortmund deserve a lot of credit for getting a point from the game when they looked dead in the water early in the second half.

Both Zinedine Zidane and Thomas Tuchel selected teams that at least came close to full-strength lineups, and it showed in the 90 minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu.

On balance, the hosts were the better side for most of the time, dominating play especially in the first 45 minutes and creating more clear-cut scoring opportunities throughout the match. Dortmund's plan not to concede the midfield to the likes of Luka Modric and Casemiro only partially worked.

Tuchel surprisingly moved away from the back five/back three hybrid that had given his defence some stability in Bundesliga matches against Bayern and Borussia Monchengladbach, instead going with a fairly attack-minded 4-1-4-1 formation in which Ousmane Dembele played an unusual central role.

The 19-year-old was supposed to spearhead his team's pressing efforts in the middle of the park, with central midfielder Gonzalo Castro and wingers Andre Schurrle and Christian Pulisic chipping in as well. The quartet covered a lot of ground and managed to win the ball back in counter-pressing a number of times.

However, it came at the cost of some maddening inaccuracies in the few moments Dortmund were able to commit men forward in the first half. Because of the Black and Yellows' propensity to give the ball away easily in the opposing half, Real were able to play the transition game over the flanks.

It came as no surprise that their first goal came in a transitional moment. Dortmund captain Marcel Schmelzer pushed high up the pitch, vacating his defensive space at left-back. Neither winger Schurrle nor a central midfielder covered Schmelzer's run forward, leaving acres of space for Daniel Carvajal.

The former Leverkusen man played in a perfect cross to Karim Benzema, who evaded Lukasz Piszczek's cover effortlessly and poked home in the 28th minute. It was an unnecessary goal to concede. Going up against a team such as Real is difficult enough without giving away comparatively easy goals.

It had been coming, too, with goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller already having been tested before. Luckily for his Dortmund side, the veteran rolled back the years with a sublime performance that ultimately kept his team in the match and made the late comeback possible.

The 36-year-old earned a perfect rating from ESPN FC's Stefan Buczko, who noted "the much-maligned Weidenfeller" made "a handful of spectacular saves." One such save came after eight minutes in the second half, denying Benzema from close range.

However, Dortmund failed to clear the ball and to cover the Frenchman in the box, with his glancing header off a James Rodriguez cross proving unstoppable even for Weidenfeller in superb form.

Two goals down with more than 30 minutes to go, most teams would probably have packed it in, dug in defensively and hoped Real would be content with just the two goals.

Dortmund, however, sounded the charge. "When you're two goals behind in Madrid, then you normally don't manage to get a draw," captain Schmelzer said after the match, per the club's official website. "It speaks volumes about us as a team that we still managed it."

Dembele, who had looked almost awestruck in the first half, and Pulisic, who had been dominated physically by Marcelo out on the right wing, came alive and started winning one-on-ones with more regularity.

Dortmund's entire play shifted a few yards further up the pitch, giving them longer spells of possession in their opponents' territory. One such spell brought the first goal.

It was a trademark BVB goal from Tuchel's first season in charge: Julian Weigl played a lobbed pass behind the last line of Real's defence, where Schmelzer timed his run perfectly. 

The team captain kept his calm and squared for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was left with an easy finish to keep his impressive scoring run going. It was the Gabon international's ninth goal since the start of November.

Equally as important as getting one back was a double substitution immediately after the goal. Tuchel brought on Marco Reus and Emre Mor for the disappointing Schurrle and the tiring Pulisic, adding vigour to Dortmund's pressing efforts and fresh legs for whatever counter-attacks Real would allow.

A few excellent saves from Weidenfeller and a little luck when Cristiano Ronaldo, whom Dortmund held in check for the most part, hit the post 12 minutes from time kept the team in the game.

The Ruhr side waited for one chance to pounce, and it presented itself in the 88th minute. Zidane's men somewhat carelessly committed forward with Marcelo losing the ball against the relentless Mor.

Schmelzer lauded his young team-mate after the game: "It's extremely important to see that there's more to him than just scoring goals or setting them up. Today he also worked well in defence and rewarded himself and us by winning the ball back before the equaliser."

The 19-year-old had the awareness and technical qualities to play a brilliant pass behind Real's defence, releasing Aubameyang's devilish pace. The star striker ran away from Sergio Ramos, allowing Reus to get positioned in the middle, where he split a double team of Carvajal and Raphael Varane.

It was "the sharpest of counter-attacks," as British commentator Martin Tyler called it in the video below:

Reus finishes off a brilliant counter-attack against Real Madrid. Dortmund finish top of group F pic.twitter.com/iZd4Npjphp

— Terje (@TerjeAFC) December 7, 2016

It qualified as what Germans often call a "lucky punch," but Dortmund earned their luck with a spirited display after getting outplayed for the first hour or so.

Coming back from a two-goal deficit against Real is not a small feat, as BT Sport's Archie Rhind-Tutt pointed out:

Borussia Dortmund the first team to be 2-0 down at Real Madrid and not lose in 14 years! (Zidane came off at 2-0 back then too...)

— Archie Rhind-Tutt (@archiert1) December 7, 2016

The Black and Yellows, of course, had already come back from being behind twice in the first meeting at home in Westfalenstadion. In total, they trailed for 105 of the 180 minutes of the two matchups with Real. A lot can be said about Dortmund's season to this point, but one thing is for certain: There is no quit in this team.

Through their resiliency, the Ruhr side earned the group win and set a new Champions League record:

.@BVB scored a record 21 goals in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage 🙌🏼 https://t.co/tIC9sItpgL

— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 8, 2016

Of course, they have to thank Polish champions Legia Warsaw for both of those feats, seeing as they scored two thirds of their goals against them and Real dropped two points in Poland. Still, Dortmund deserved to win the group.

Now the focus shifts to Monday's draw of the round of 16. With both Bayern and Bayer Leverkusen finishing second, Dortmund can only meet five of the eight teams that came in second place.

Per statistician Mister Chip on Twitter, they have about a 50 per cent chance of meeting either Pep Guardiola's Manchester City or Jorge Sampaoli's FC Sevilla, arguably the two toughest draws in the pot:

#ChampionsLeague
Next Draw chances pic.twitter.com/dPIVt8qWo8

— MisterChip (English) (@MisterChiping) December 7, 2016

With Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica and Porto the other options, there are no easy draws for Dortmund. Having already faced and dispatched Porto in the Europa League last season, they would arguably present the most favourable draw.

Whoever it will be, Dortmund proved again on Wednesday they can go toe-to-toe with any team on a good day.

                                 

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.

Borussia Dortmund made history on Wednesday night when they scored their 20th and 21st Champions League goals of the season. 

Dortmund's 2-2 draw at Real Madrid ensured they achieved the record. 

Most CL goals scored in a group
21 – B. DORTMUND (2016-17)
20 – Man Utd (1998-99)
20 - Barcelona (2011-12, 2016-17)
20 – R. Madrid (2013-14) pic.twitter.com/6Ngxqq4VWT

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) December 7, 2016

The record had previously been shared by Manchester United and Barcelona. 

As far as final matchdays of the UEFA Champions League group stage go, Borussia Dortmund's trip to the Spanish capital to face Real Madrid is a fairly relaxed one.

With both teams already qualified for the round of 16, the group win is still up for grabs. However, it is far from certain that topping the section is that big of an advantage for the start of the knockout stages.

As group winners, the Black and Yellows could have to face Manchester City or Sevilla, whereas coming second could lead to an ostensibly easier draw against Leicester City or Napoli. 

Of course, winning the group could also bring a draw such as FC Porto, who Dortmund dismantled in the UEFA Europa League last season, while finishing runners-up could have them face Atletico Madrid.

The Ruhr side will have the luxury of knowing one half of their potential opponents in the next round by the time their game at Madrid kicks off on Wednesday evening, but there is no question they will play to get a positive result regardless of what the implications may be.

The Santiago Bernabeu is too big a stage in European football and Dortmund are too much in search of rhythm at this point in the season for head coach Thomas Tuchel to be content with playing for a draw or not caring about the result at all.

As the 43-year-old prepares for perhaps the biggest test of the campaign so far—and certainly the most prestigious away trip of his coaching career to date—he would do well to remember his side's 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in November.

Unlike previous meetings with the perennial Bundesliga champions, when Pep Guardiola was still at the helm, Dortmund did not opt for an ultra-defensive approach despite playing with a back five.

Before, it served to give the team the most compact shape as they looked to weather the storm of Bayern's unrelenting possession machine. This time around, it allowed for immediate access in the middle of the pitch, where Dortmund's pressing of the Bavarians' central-zone players was the key to the match.

Tuchel correctly identified that, under Carlo Ancelotti, Bayern tend to struggle with pressure up the middle, as their possession game is less fluid and the entire team depends more on the individual class of a few key players than the system being a weapon itself.

Los Blancos take a similar approach, with head coach Zinedine Zidane leaning towards Ancelotti's pragmatism more than Guardiola's creativity.

Considering it has only been one-and-a-half years since the Italian left Madrid—and the fact that the player personnel is largely the same—it comes as no surprise that Bayern and Real have notable similarities in their game.

Madrid also rely heavily on the individual class of key performers, with Dortmund catching a break seeing as Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos will miss the match. 

The Welshman would have presented huge problems for the Black and Yellows, who have conceded an inordinate amount of goals over the left side of their defence, as Jurgen Koers detailed for local paper Ruhr Nachrichten (link in German). 

Dortmund would likely have struggled to match Bale's pace and drive on the ball. Even though they kept him quiet for most of the first meeting, a 2-2 draw back in September, the 27-year-old still made an impact assisting Cristiano Ronaldo's opener when Real caught the hosts in transition.

Bale's replacement will presumably again be Lucas Vazquez, who is a hard worker and, per Bleacher Report's Karl Matchett, has done well in Bale's absence "without ever really looking close to providing the top-quality delivery and threat on goal the Welshman does."

Germany international Kroos, on the other hand, dictates Real's play together with Luka Modric, forming one of the most press-resistant midfield duos in European football. His surgically precise passing and intelligent positioning would have made for a potentially frustrating 90 minutes for Dortmund's midfielders.

His replacement, Mateo Kovacic, is a fine player in his own right, coming off a strong performance in El Clasico against Barcelona at the weekend, but he does not possess the same strategical capabilities as Kroos.

Much like they managed against Bayern's Spanish duo, Xabi Alonso and Thiago Alcantara, Dortmund have to find access to Real's Croatian duo in the middle of the park.

Tuchel will be forced to make at least one change from the XI that largely kept Bayern at bay, allowing only a few half-chances from open play—Alonso had an effort from range clang off the bar, but that was the only big scoring opportunity for the Bavarians.

Mario Gotze, who put in perhaps his best performance in that win against his former club, will miss the the game with a slight knock to the knee, per the club's official website. After remaining on the bench for the 4-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach, the 24-year-old's underrated defensive work rate would have been useful in what is likely to be a physically demanding game for Dortmund.

Gonzalo Castro will likely stay in the XI and take on those responsibilities, although it would not be shocking to see Sebastian Rode make a rare start. After all, it seems probable the former Bayern midfielder was brought in with games like the one against Real in mind, with Dortmund as underdogs who are not obligated to dominate on the ball.

It also seems somewhat unlikely that Tuchel will again opt for two out-and-out strikers as he did against Bayern, especially after his attack looked sumptuous in the Bundesliga with a fluid trident of Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele combining for almost every dangerous situation in front of the opposition goal.

Reus may not be ready to start two games in relatively quick succession after a six-month lay-off until late November, with Andre Schurrle—also rested against Gladbach—ready to take his place.

The summer signing played an unusual role against Bayern, as detailed by Constantin Eckner for Spielverlagerung.com, acting as a central midfielder next to Gotze despite being a natural left-winger. His tactical discipline and physicality made him a key man in Dortmund's pressing scheme, which could again be the case against Real.

Defensively, the back five that played against Bayern and, as a back three with wing-backs Marcel Schmelzer and Lukasz Piszczek pushing further up the pitch against Gladbach, seems the most solid foundation for Dortmund.

As the centrepiece, Greek defender Sokratis Papstathopoulos has been a rock the more inexperienced Matthias Ginter and Marc Bartra can hold on to when the going gets tough, which is surely to happen in some phases of the match at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

If their defence holds up against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, Dortmund will like their chances of coming away with a result. If nothing else, they can rely on the hottest striker in Europe.

Aubameyang is on a tear, scoring an absurd eight goals in five appearances since the start of November—and one of those was a goalless 20-minute cameo against Legia Warsaw.

The Gabonese superstar has often talked about his affection for Los Blancos, most recently in an interview with David Kappel of Soccer Laduma, and he would like nothing more than to keep his scoring streak going against them.

Real, of course, are unbeaten in 33 matches and would match a club record if they avoid defeat to the German side, per Marca. Dortmund would not mind if they matched that record—with a draw on Wednesday.

                                    

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.

Borussia Dortmund provided the perfect answer to a week of controversy surrounding their head coach, Thomas Tuchel, with a 4-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach on Matchday 13 of the 2016/17 Bundesliga season on Saturday.

Tuchel had been heavily criticised by large parts of the German media for an emotional outburst after the recent 2-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, when the 43-year-old bemoaned in his post-match press conference a performance that "was deficient" and "merited no points."

Local BVB reporter Matthias Dersch of Ruhr Nachrichten, among many others, felt Tuchel avoided fair criticism himself, deflecting blame to his team.

Perhaps more importantly, Dortmund's head coach came under fire for his rotation policy. Does his constant tinkering with the team not hinder their jelling and becoming a cohesive unit?

If Saturday's match against Gladbach is anything to go by, Tuchel will not change his methods. He again made four personnel changes and played a system Dortmund had never before used. It was precisely what his critics argued is a major reason behind an up-and-down season so far.

Only this time, his changes worked to perfection, and the unusual formation was the key to not only the three points but also to a proper annihilation of a Gladbach side that had played better than the league table indicated ahead of the match.

The Foals had only won one point from home matches against upstarts Cologne and 1899 Hoffenheim but were the better side in both games. A solid 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League also showed how Andre Schubert's men are better than their standing in the German top flight, 13th, would have one believe.

Saturday seemed to prove that notion in the early going, as Brazilian attacker Raffael scored the opener after just six minutes. Marc Bartra had put the ball on a plate with a weak headed clearance on to his foot.

Going behind and conceding a fairly cheap goal seemed to play into the narrative of Tuchel's ever-present changes being the problem. Dortmund played with a back three and wing-backs who pushed far up the pitch, which left the centre-backs isolated for the goal.

The Black and Yellows, however, showed an immediate reaction that proved they would not be denied in this match.

"I'm not exactly sure how we fell behind," star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang said after the match, per the club's official website. "But it meant it was important to hit back straightaway."

It took them all of 59 seconds from the moment they conceded the goal, or 14 seconds from the consequent kick-off, to hit back. Marco Reus got on the end of a simple long ball, poking it toward Aubameyang, whose thumping effort could perhaps have been saved by goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

https://twitter.com/nessa1909/status/805081196950589443

It was almost poetic that Dortmund would find such a quick answer only a week after conceding twice from kick-offs against Frankfurt, which played a part in Tuchel's outburst.

Lukasz Piszczek put them in front five minutes later, poaching a goal from a corner after Bartra failed to properly connect with the ball. From then on out, the Ruhr side was in absolute control, suffocating the opposition with long spells of possession and always looking good for a third goal.

This is where Tuchel's tactical plan worked to perfection. For the first time all season, Dortmund played in a 3-4-3 formation.

Bartra and Matthias Ginter, playing outside of Sokratis Papastathopoulos in the back three, pushed wide and high, often leaving midfield duo Nuri Sahin and Gonzalo Castro as the second-deepest line of the team.

Sahin lasted only 36 minutes, suffering a knock to the knee, but during that time, he was instrumental as a deep-lying buildup player in what was his Bundesliga debut this season.

With the wing-backs also providing width, Tuchel employed attackers Reus and Ousmane Dembele in the half-spaces, from where they terrorised Gladbach all game. With Aubameyang, the Germany international and the 19-year-old Frenchman formed a fluid attacking trident that was simply unstoppable.

They produced countless dangerous moments and a number of scoring opportunities with interplays in short areas, shredding Gladbach's back three to pieces with surgical precision.

"We needed to play fluently in offensive areas of the pitch," Tuchel explained in his press conference after the game. "Our three strikers achieved that spectacularly up front today. The other seven players had to remain incredibly compact."

For the most part, they accomplished that, allowing Gladbach next to no counter-attacks and not one real scoring opportunity after the sixth minute, as Michael Caley's expected-goals graphic below indicates:

xG map for Dortmund - Gladbach. It might have behooved the Foals to do some attacking even after scoring the first goal. pic.twitter.com/RPz4Daja3t

— Caley Graphics (@Caley_graphics) December 3, 2016

The story of the game, however, was the play of Dortmund's attacking trio. "This was a performance that flowed, was fun to watch and showed just how much of a connection Dortmund's attackers have with one another," Deutsche Welle's Jonathan Harding summarised.

"It was the first time the three had started together, but it looked like the hundredth," Matt Pearson wrote, also for Deutsche Welle.

Aubameyang has 15 league goals in only 12 appearances, meaning he has already hit more goals than all but five players managed across the entire 2015/16 season. Even more impressively, the Gabon international has scored more goals than a third of all Bundesliga teams into the month of December.

Reus picked up three assists and had a cheeky backheel flip ruled out after being caught offside. The 27-year-old played well against Legia Warsaw in the Champions League and off the bench against Frankfurt, but there was still the question about how he would hold up from the start in a more competitive setting.

The fact he was not only productive but looked to be in banner form on his full season debut in the league has to be incredibly encouraging. It seems Dortmund's patience with the attacker will be rewarded, seeing as it historically takes Reus a few games to get up to speed. 

"It is fantastic how he has returned and the intensity with which he trained to get himself back," Tuchel lauded his No. 11 after the match. Reus' complete performance, capped off by a brilliant backheel assist for Aubameyang's second goal, showed just how big of a quality boost he can offer the team.

Astoundingly, though, Reus was not even the best Dortmund man on the pitch. That distinction belonged to Dembele, who celebrated a bit of a coming-out party against Gladbach. Defenders never got a hold of the 19-year-old, whose incredible burst and technical abilities were on display time and time again.

His goal made it 3-1 18 minutes into the second half, effectively killing all hopes of a Gladbach comeback, and it showed Dembele's vast potential. Receiving the ball from Reus, he turned his hips twice to shake off defenders and slotted home with ease.

What looked like a simple goal required incredibly concentration and body control, something Dembele offers in abundance, as his stats from the game proved:

.@Dembouz vs Gladbach:
1 goal
1 shot on target
3 key passes
7/7 dribbles
66 touches
32/45 passes
71% completion

— BVBstatistics (@BVBstat) December 3, 2016

Tuchel was naturally full of praise for the youngster, arguing "he played one of his best-ever games today" and "made the difference in those situations in which we wanted him to do so and in which he himself wanted to do so."

Effectiveness and decision-making are the big question marks with the 19-year-old, who has the talent to become a superstar. So seeing him involved in almost every dangerous situation for Dortmund against Gladbach was just as encouraging as Reus' full season debut in the Bundesliga.

Of course, Dembele and his team-mates have to follow up this strong performance until the winter break.

In Cologne and Hoffenheim, Dortmund face two teams in their vicinity in the table, while Wednesday's Champions League clash with Real Madrid will sort who wins Group F and avoids some of the toughest draws for the round of 16.

The Black and Yellows have too often followed up a strong performance with a stinker in the Bundesliga, which has not been lost on Reus, who watched on from the stands for most of those matches.

"I still think that we simply need more continuity," the 27-year-old said, per BVB's website. "And that will only come from matches like this one against Gladbach."

If nothing else, the comfortable 4-1 victory should stop the over-the-top talk about Tuchel. It also showed that the best way to get better is working on the training pitch, as Dortmund made good use of their first full week of training since the start of the season.

For example, it seemed as if they worked on set pieces, which Gladbach struggled with all game.

After a week in which Tuchel's methods and personality came under absurd scrutiny, the team gave the perfect answer on the pitch—where these things ought to be settled.

                               

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.

Football has experienced an incredible growth as an international sport over the years. Long gone are the days when teams played with only one or two foreigners on the pitch.

Borussia Dortmund are no exception. Non-Germans have worn the captain's armband, led the team in scoring, were the most important players on the pitch...you get the picture.

It got us here at Bleacher Report thinking. How would a truly cosmopolitan Dortmund side look?

                                  

Criteria and Formation

Each country can only be represented by one player. In cases of dual citizenship, only the country the player represents at international level will be considered.

We will keep things relatively recent, looking only at players who have been with Dortmund since the turn of the millennium.

Our team will play with four defenders, five midfielders and one striker, seeing as that has been the Black and Yellows' standard system over the last few years.

                                 

Goalkeeper: Roman Burki, Switzerland

There is not a lot of choice for the position between the sticks. Not wanting to use the goalkeeper position for the only German allowed in our team, we are left with all of four players to choose from.

Swiss Roman Burki, Dutchman Dennis Gentenaar, Frenchman Guillaume Warmuz and Australian Mitchell Langerak are the only non-German 'keepers to have played for the Black and Yellows since 2000.

Seeing as Gentenaar and Warmuz always were No. 2 options during their time at Westfalenstadion, it boils down to Burki and Langerak.

While the latter has the advantage of being one of only two Australians to play for Dortmund—midfielder Ned Zelic was popular among fans in the early to mid-1990s—Burki is the first foreign No. 1 goalkeeper in club history.

That trumps the fact Switzerland produced a few other players worthy of consideration for us, namely strikers Stephane Chapuisat and Alexander Frei.

While no one would put him at the top of their rankings of Dortmund's greatest goalies just yet, Burki has developed nicely since making the move from SC Freiburg in the summer of 2015. Strong in one-on-ones and with solid reactions on the line, he is also decent on the ball. We could do worse in goal for our fictional XI.

                               

Right-Back: Lukasz Piszczek, Poland

For a time under former head coach Jurgen Klopp, the Black and Yellows were nicknamed Polonia Dortmund thanks to the big influence Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski had on the team.

Lewandowski is certainly the most impressive player of the group individually, but as we will see later, there is a large pool of potent strikers to choose from. The same cannot be said about the right-back position, where Piszczek's longevity has seen him be an almost guaranteed starter in the six years since he joined from Hertha BSC.

The 31-year-old has lost a step or two in recent times, but a relentless work ethic, endless stamina and solid tactical understanding made him one of the best full-backs in European football during his prime for Dortmund.

Thirteen goals and an impressive 46 assists in 244 matches across competitions show he will contribute to our team's attacking play, while we will never have to worry about him defensively.

                                 

Centre-Backs: Neven Subotic, Serbia, and Mats Hummels, Germany

Born only six days apart in December 1988, Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels always displayed a special chemistry, making them a formidable centre-back pairing during the club's successful time under Klopp.

Subotic has been robbed of most of what should be his prime years so far, suffering various injuries in recent seasons that rendered him a back-up. However, we are judging players at their respective peaks here, and the Serb used to be one of the most tenacious defenders in the Bundesliga.

One could argue Sokratis Papastathopoulos is the more impressive individual player, but the Greek and Hummels never jelled as a pairing in the heart of defence.

Hummels was our top choice for the one German in our team, mostly because he has unique qualities as perhaps the best ball-playing centre-back in the world. The 27-year-old will be our principal buildup player, orchestrating attacks from the deep zones. A natural leader, he would also wear the captain's armband.

                             

Left-Back: Leonardo Dede, Brazil

A fan favourite thanks to his adventurous playing style, his relaxed nature off the playing the surface and, most of all, his loyalty, Dede is an automatic selection for our team. The Brazilian, who later obtained a German passport, is the club's most capped non-German player, with 398 matches—which is more than 100 more than Chapuisat, who's No. 2 on that list.

The Black and Yellows used to have a strong contingent of Brazilians in the '90s and early 2000s, with centre-backs Julio Cesar and Felipe Santana, right-back Evanilson and attackers Marcio Amoroso and Ewerthon all leaving their marks on successful Dortmund sides, but no one came close to having the lasting impact Dede left.

A solid defender and, more importantly, superb technician with a marvellous left foot, it remains a mystery why he only appeared in one game for his home country.

                         

Defensive Midfield: Nuri Sahin, Turkey

Whereas it feels as though our defensive selection was almost automatic, difficult decisions await us in midfield, starting with anchor.

Most of the players who ought to be included in the discussion are German, be it longtime captain Sebastian Kehl or Julian Weigl, whose sensational rise from afterthought signing to perhaps the team's most important player has been one of the more surprising stories surrounding the club over the last years.

As luck would have it, our starter was born in Germany but chose to represent his parents' homeland, Turkey, at international level. Nuri Sahin may have had his best time in a more advanced role, but he is perfectly capable of providing cover for our back line while also dictating the tempo in buildup thanks to his impressive passing range.

                                

Right-Winger: Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Armenia

Blaszczykowski would have been a shoo-in for this spot if Piszczek had not been the only logical choice at right-back, opening the door for others further ahead on the wing. 

Christian Pulisic and Ousmane Dembele could well work their way into this XI if they keep developing, but for now, the spot belongs to Henrikh Mkhitaryan, even though the Armenian only played to his full potential for one season before moving to Manchester United in the summer.

The 27-year-old explained his resurgence under Thomas Tuchel in a recent piece for The Players' Tribune: "When you are happy, good things happen on the pitch. That season, we played with enthusiasm. We played a crazy, super-attacking style, and we enjoyed every minute on the pitch."

Mkhitaryan would add flair, dynamism and goals to our side while also doing his team-mates' yeoman's service off the ball.

      

Playmaker No. 1: Tomas Rosicky, Czech Republic

Speaking of flair, this XI would not be complete without perhaps Dortmund's best No. 10 of all time. Tomas Rosicky would be the centrepiece of our attacking play, receiving balls in the half-spaces and releasing team-mates with deadly accuracy.

Something died in every Dortmund fan when the then-26-year-old with the boyish looks left for Arsenal in 2006, even though his sale was vital to the club's financial recovery under chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke.

Affectionally called Schnitzel because he always looked as though he could stand to gain a few pounds to hold up better against defenders trying to rough him up, Rosicky would bag assist after assist playing in our attack-minded team.

                                

Playmaker No. 2: Shinji Kagawa, Japan

Whereas Rosicky is the type of playmaker who pulls the strings from afar, Shinji Kagawa plays best when he is right in the thick of the action. The Japan international excels in tight spaces thanks to his balance, making him an ideal player for combinations against deep-sitting defences.

The 27-year-old, much like Sahin, has not hit the lofty standards he set during his first stint at Westfalenstadion since his return in 2014, at times struggling to even make the squad under Tuchel, but there is no denying the impact he had on the team that won back-to-back Bundesliga championships in 2011 and 2012.

"He's an offensive midfielder with one of the best noses for goal I ever saw," Jurgen Klopp said about Kagawa in 2013, per the Guardian's Donald McRae, and that endorsement is enough for us. 

                           

Left-Winger: Ivan Perisic, Croatia

The spot opposite Mkhitaryan was easily the hardest to fill. It is a position that has been held almost exclusively by Germans for Dortmund, with Kevin Grosskreutz and, in the last few years, Marco Reus occupying it for the better part of a decade.

It would not be an enormous stretch to put Dembele or Pulisic there, so slim are our pickings. However, with both of the teenagers not even completing a single full season for Dortmund's (senior, in Pulisic's case) team, the spot in our XI fell to Ivan Perisic.

The Croat only spent one-and-a-half years with the Black and Yellows, but at least he played a super-sub role in the double-winning season of 2011/12. He is in this team more because of what he has done since leaving the club than what he did during his time in the Ruhr valley.

Be it for VfL Wolfsburg, Inter Milan or Croatia, Perisic always brings energy, has solid counter-pressing abilities and will chip in with goals here and there. He will have to do in this scenario.

                                       

Striker: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gabon

If left-winger were the hardest position to fill because of a lack of qualified candidates, the lone striker spot is at the exact opposite of the spectrum. There are so many strikers who could fit into this team.

Some of them became ineligible when other positions were filled. Lewandowski could well go down as the best striker to have played for Dortmund, for example, while Chapuisat, Frei or Jan Koller would also have been good shouts.

Ultimately, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was an easy choice. Not only is he a bona fide striker, he is also the only Gabonese to have played for the Black and Yellows.

As discussed in an earlier piece, the 27-year-old will have every opportunity to become the highest-scoring centre-forward in club history if he stays at Westfalenstadion for another two seasons or so.

We can already picture the lightning-quick Aubameyang getting on the end of a patented Rosicky through ball. He would score even more than he does in real life!

                                        

We have chemistry in defence, incredible playmaking ability in midfield and a deadly striker. But did we miss someone? Who would make your BVB XI if you could only choose one player from each nationality? 

                  

All transfer and performance data via Transfermarkt.

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.