Mats Hummels' importance to Borussia Dortmund is evident during 2-0 win over Wolfsburg
Borussia Dortmund prepared for Tuesday's crucial clash with Bayern Munich by beating European hopefuls Wolfsburg 2-0 on Saturday.
The flying full-back duo of Raphael Guerreiro and Achraf Hakimi grabbed the goals as BVB kept the pressure on the current champions at the top. In rather unusual fashion for the visitors, they were the only real chances they had across the 90 minutes.
Dortmund previously found a Wolfsburg type opponent a difficult one to conquer. Their physicality went hand-in-hand with problems at set-pieces, although for the first 45 minutes of this contest, they demonstrated that those issues are seemingly in the past.
They weren't perfect, and it'll be difficult for any team to claim that accolade in the returning few weeks of this Bundesliga season, but the occasional loose pass and breakdown of attacks are not exclusive to Dortmund. Crucially, those small errors were coming as they attempted to get forward. A team who try to be fluent in attack are always going to have moves that don't pay off.
And despite that, we were left feeling impressed with this Dortmund side at the break for different reasons to usual. Rather than praising that eye-catching trio of Erling Haaland, Julian Brandt and Thorgan Hazard, who still performed at a decent enough level, the solidity of the back line provided the biggest talking point.
But then at half-time, Emre Can was brought on in place of Mats Hummels. The reason for the substitution wasn't clear at the time but it seems obvious that Lucien Favre wouldn't remove him through choice.
It's nothing against Can. The German international is clearly a preferred option in central midfield when fully fit and having a player in a back three who is comfortable on the ball is more than beneficial to Dortmund's system. However, that ability in possession is no replacement for the assurance that Hummels brings to not only the back line but the Dortmund team as a whole.
Granted Wolfsburg were chasing the game being a single goal behind but the defensive solidity of Dortmund's first-half disappeared in the second. The hosts managed four attempts on goal, one on target with three off, in the opening 15 minutes of the second-half; they managed just one off target attempt during the entire first 45 minutes.
Credit should be given to Wolfsburg for their positivity in the second-half approach, something which was also reflected in their substitutions, but Dortmund's shaky nature seemed more prominent than Wolfsburg's menacing attacks.
We went from witnessing a team in yellow who were looking to break forward in their trademark style to one that appeared happy to sit deep and defend. The Dortmund faces went from smiles to worry; the removal of Hummels' leadership on the pitch had sent a ripple effect throughout the rest of the team.
The introduction of Jadon Sancho, returning from injury and excluded from the starting XI so that he could remain fresh for Tuesday's clash with Bayern you'd imagine, did fire some inspiration into an otherwise flat Dortmund attack. They began to threaten with the ball, but the concern was always there for what would happen off it.
Dortmund eventually going on to score a second through Hakimi's close range strike does teach us something about the mentality and the new maturity of this team. Against a better standard of opposition though, and on a different day, the outcome could have been different had they been punished for their half an hour of substandard football.
Maybe this is a harsh assessment of a Dortmund side who demonstrated they can win in attritional fashion. A fifth clean sheet in six games is a huge positive and shows that they have managed to find a balance between a fluent attack and a solid defence.
But without Hummels, we saw a Dortmund team who lacked the confidence that was evident during the 4-0 hammering of Schalke; and indeed during the large majority of the season.
No matter how good this Dortmund team gets, there will always be that doubt in the back of the mind due to that hammering by Bayern at this same point last season that ended up derailing their title bid. They will need to be at their best if they're to avoid that happening again this time around; which includes Hummels being at the heart of their defence.
It emerged after the game that a foot injury which was already bothering the defender was the reason behind his removal at half-time, although it's not serious enough to keep him out of Tuesday's crucial fixture. That will be the biggest positive for Dortmund as they return to Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund's hopes of success in midweek will depend on Hummels' fitness. If he fails to recover and finds himself on the injury list, Bayern are more than likely to justify their current 10/11 price for victory.
On the topic of fluent, attacking football that catches the eye, praise has to be given to Hertha Berlin who put on a show in front of the TV cameras on Friday night.
Union Berlin's season has been an enjoyable one to watch. Their rise to the Bundesliga, and the wonderful back story that has come with it, has made them a team worth following.
Across the city, we've seen a Hertha side lack consistency, both on and off the field. Ante Covic and Jurgen Klinsmann have been and gone in the head coach role but under Bruno Labbadia, it does appear to be third time lucky.
Union were dancing after a 1-0 victory in the first ever Bundesliga meeting between these two back in November but on this weekend, Hertha demonstrated that the power had firmly shifted back to the blue side of the German capital.
There is no avoiding the subject that Hertha spent big in January. Lucas Tousart, Krzysztof Piatek, Santiago Ascacibar and Matheus Cunha signalled their intent to improve, but it's the latter who has really caught the eye during his time at the club.
Cunha has been a star since his switch from Leipzig and extended his scoring run to four games as he netted in that 4-0 victory over their local rivals. Under a Hertha side who want to attack, Cunha appears to be the key that could unlock their full potential.
Hertha's wonderful attacking football made it difficult to take your eyes off the screen during the second-half as they put a lacklustre Union to the sword. They were slightly lucky to have beaten Hoffenheim, despite it being a 3-0 scoreline, but there were no doubts that they were deserving of a significant victory in their latest outing.
I'll be paying more interest to Leipzig's performance on Sunday as they are next up for Labbadia's men in midweek. If they fail to convince, like they did in the draw with Freiburg, then the 13/8 double chance price in Hertha's favour could be worth a play on Wednesday.
Odds correct at 1700 BST (23/05/20)
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