He would have had every reason to be satisfied. But Serhou Guirassy didn't look as if he was overly happy. “Half and half” is how he would describe his emotional world, said the goalscorer, who saved BVB from sliding into a crisis with his brace in the 2-1 win in Baku against Champions League debutants Sabah FK. If this game had not been won, BVB would have come under pressure after just three match days to achieve their stated goal of reaching the round of 16.
“We missed a few chances,” said the goalscorer, naming a shortcoming. And that wasn't even the only thing. Nevertheless, according to Guirassy, the victory was of enormous importance - after two recent draws in the Bundesliga (2-2 against Bremen and 0-0 at Union Berlin) and a defeat in the premier class (0-1 in Bodö). “The last few weeks have been stressful and difficult,” he said.
The prevailing feeling among almost all Dortmund residents, who had to fly more than 11,000 kilometers in one week to get to their three away games in Norway, Berlin and Azerbaijan and back home, was above all: relief. "It was a very, very important victory and in the way it was very, very satisfying. We did really well, especially offensively," said Niko Kovac. That was almost a bit too much “very”.
It was a work victory, and many things were actually better than before. Especially at the beginning, Borussia played dominantly and structured forward. The changes the coach made suited the team - his move to attack with a double lead in particular paid off: Fabio Silva played alongside Guirassy, which posed problems for the opponents. The defenders didn't know which striker to focus on.
The support from the midfield also worked better: Felix Nmecha and especially Carney Chukwuemeka, who made his starting eleven debut this season, repeatedly attacked the depths. The result was well-thought-out attacks, good opportunities and the lead for Guirassy (10th minute), who completed a nice combination between Chukwuemeka and Silva. This was preceded by a shot from Nmecha, which Sabah keeper Stas Pokatilov could only deflect.
Afterwards, however, an old pattern became apparent again: Dortmund took their foot off the gas and revealed coordination problems. Balls were lost carelessly, the counter-pressing didn't work properly - spaces were created for the opponent. The interim equalizer for Sabah (39th minute), when Aden McCarthy could not be prevented from heading the ball, was not undeserved at this point.
It wasn't until the second half that Borussia picked themselves up again and acted more confidently and clearly. The winning goal by Guirassy, who volleyed a precise cross from Joey Veerman (53'), was also an expression of a finally concentrated style of play. “The boys should have won the game more, then we wouldn’t have had to shake so much,” said Kovac. It was the only accusation he wanted to make to his team.
There would definitely have been more cause for criticism. But nobody wanted to know anything about this or about a crisis that had already been attributed to the team before the game. Sports director Ole Book saw a “significant step forward”. He - probably consciously - ignored the fact that this increase in performance was against an opponent whose market value was almost 580 million euros below that of the Dortmund squad. But he was “astonished” by the word “crisis”.
Gregor Kobel also rejected this term. “Quiet…” said the goalkeeper when confronted with it after the final word. It is true that the performances in the last few games were not convincing, but that is precisely why the second win in the third Champions League game was all the more important. "Crisis is a hard word. Especially in the phase in which there are a lot of games to be played and you're coming back from a long international break, it's important that you stick to yourself."
It's important not to let yourself be unsettled. “We have to keep going at full speed, that’s what matters,” said Kobel. In any case, the people of Dortmund don't want to be persuaded to have self-doubt.
The positive reinforcement, which was expressed in almost all statements on Tuesday, may actually be the only promising way to deal with obvious deficits in times of never-ending English weeks in which targeted training is hardly possible. As was also clear in Baku, BVB still has problems managing the transformation from a style primarily focused on security to an offensive style of football.
It was clear from the start that this would take time. The only problem is: Dortmund doesn't have that. Eintracht Frankfurt comes on Saturday, then we play Werder Bremen in the cup and then Bayern. A performance like the one in Baku is unlikely to be enough, especially against the latter.
This is also the reason why Guirassy was only “half” happy on Tuesday. "That's the difference at the highest level. The best players in the world perform consistently every week. But we are top players, so we have to work on it - myself included. If we all play consistently, we can achieve a lot this season," he said, formulating his claim. In reality, BVB does not yet reflect this.
