Man City – Borussia Dortmund: Pep and the game of patience at Etihad

05/11/2025 07:25:00 PlaymakerHub

Keeping a winning streak against Borussia Dortmund will become a challenge for Man City tonight, as the German side knows how to play a rough style of football to win.

Two prominent factors in Man City's recent victories are the solidity of their defensive system and Erling Haaland’s continuous brilliance in counter-attacking play. However, they have failed offensively against Tottenham, Brighton, and Aston Villa.

Man City's versatility

Victories over Villarreal and Bournemouth demonstrate that Man City are maintaining their familiar rhythm. Their clean advances through midfield, long-range shots, and nearly breathless counterattacks inside the penalty area are evident.

With home advantage, they will try to press the opponent for extended periods, exhausting them before initiating attacks in the second phase through set pieces. For The Citizens, a win against Borussia Dortmund will provide a smoother path in the group standings.

The attack will continue to revolve around Haaland’s playing value, supported by players like Foden and Silva who help create opportunities, and now, coach Pep Guardiola has found another supply source for the Norwegian striker in Rayan Cherki.

Setting traps for counterattacks is Man City’s most distinctive trait currently. Pep’s team rotates a playmaker and a number 8 inward to draw a center-back, then plays a low pass for Haaland to run vertically into the box and score. At the same time, they press near the opponent’s penalty area to win second balls and immediately recreate attacks to sustain high pressure.

Besides the usual short passes, Man City use many long passes to surprise opponents. Statistics show long passes constitute 6.5% of The Citizens’ current passes, higher than all previous seasons, even though only one-third of the season has passed.

But the important thing is Pep must let Dortmund see chances to attack. Man City don’t have to immerse themselves in dominating possession and early overwhelming wins because their opponent is one of the best ball-contesting teams in Europe’s midfield. This is exactly the test of patience for Dortmund.

Man City favor counterattacking to win but also fear Dortmund’s counterattacks.

Dortmund’s confidence

Dortmund does not appear as a defensive team in the Champions League, having conceded 7 goals in 3 group matches. But coach Niko Kovac is achieving that in the Bundesliga, with the yellow-black team conceding only 6 goals in 9 matches.

Dortmund’s revival has many aspects, but defensive solidity stands out, signaling a tough challenge for Haaland and Man City. If Kovac’s defense can pass the test in England, they have even more reasons to believe this could be a special season for the club.

Let’s consider some factors that make this team confident in locking down Haaland in every one-on-one duel with Man City’s number 9. The defensive organization of Anton, Bensebaini, Schlotterbeck, and Anselmino is very high given their names and experience. Anton and Bensebaini have together won the most one-on-one duels at Dortmund this season, totaling 83. The yellow-black team has not conceded any goals from set pieces or counterattacks in the Bundesliga this season.

The stability at the back does not depend solely on the defense; 12 of the 15 players who started in last weekend’s win over Augsburg won more than 50% of their duels.

“At present, we are very hard to beat,” said sporting director Sebastian Kehl. This is reinforced by the team’s high tempo, use of wingers, and midfielders who create from the second line.

Dortmund has many attacking options including Malen, Adeyemi, and Brandt; their offense shows extremely fast transition speed and increased presence in the box.

Kovac will likely select two defensive midfielders to break Man City’s pressing and protect the spaces in front of the center-backs. Meanwhile, they aim to hurt the hosts with off-the-ball movement, escaping pressing, then attacking the spaces behind Man City’s advanced full-backs. They can also use speed to quickly bring the ball into the box, targeting overlapping runs and controlling second balls well.

The neon yellow number 17 shirt from 2020 remains a popular choice among Borussia Dortmund fans. For them, the reunion with the Norwegian striker brings deep nostalgia. Although moving to Man City brought superstar fame, Haaland still maintains ties with Dortmund. This summer, he posted a photo wearing that neon yellow BVB shirt, greeting fans and rekindling affection from supporters who have even forgiven his goals against them in previous meetings. Despite a recent slight improvement in form, statistics favor Man City, who have 3 wins and 2 draws in 6 prior encounters, while Dortmund has only won once.

Nhat Minh

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