Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images
Borussia Dortmund salvaged a point following an abject performance in Saturday's 2-2 draw against Freiburg. Jeremy Toljan's stoppage time equaliser saved his team an undeserved point as BVB's winless start to 2018 continued.
The hosts looked to be on their way to a comfortable win when Shinji Kagawa's volley gave his side a 1-0 lead after nine minutes. But Dortmund stepped off the gas quickly. Freiburg's Nils Petersen equalised midway through the first half before lobbing Roman Burki from around 35 yards to give the visitors a shock lead.
It looked like being enough but Dortmund escaped late on as Toljan grabbed a point in the dying moments.
Positives
Barely anything, although at least rivals RB Leipzig dropped two points against relegation-threatened Hamburg on Saturday.
Negatives
Just three points from three matches in 2018 is points dissatisfying. BVB seem to be in a very wretched place. The football is abject and star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can't wait to leave.
The situation under Peter Stoger is reminiscent of the days under Thomas Doll in 2007 rather than the glory days under Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel. With the interim coach struggling, the Black and Yellows are in for a tough second half of the season with yet another overhaul to follow in the summer.
Manager rating out of 10
3 -- Stoger said during the winter break that Dortmund couldn't play unattractive football, even if he tried. He was wrong.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Roman Burki, 3 -- Once again beaten at the near post for Freiburg's equaliser. Hard to blame him for Petersen's screamer as it was simply a well-taken shot.
DF Lukasz Piszczek, 4 -- A bunch of aimless crosses into the box did not help the team.
DF Sokratis Papastathopoulos, 3 -- Needs to get rid of the ball sooner or the opponents will have enough time to cover the gaps that open through lateral shifts.
DF Omer Toprak, 6 -- Kept his improved form up.
DF Jeremy Toljan, 6 -- Nut-megged Caglar Soyuncu and Rafal Gikiewicz as he scored the equaliser late on. One of the few positives.
MF Nuris Sahin, 2 -- At fault for Freiburg's second goal. Typified BVB's complacency and his lack of dynamism is a real cause for concern. The 29-year-old also stopped tracking Janik Haberer, who found Petersen after 20 minutes. Sahin's start may have come as a surprise to some but it would be an even bigger surprise to see him in the starting lineup after this.
MF Shinji Kagawa, 6 -- The Japanese scored the opener in style and was seen in several positions throughout the game but could not instigate any meaningful plays.
MF Gonzalo Castro, 2 -- Known to be a streaky player but the first half was sub-par even for his topsy-turvy standards as he gave the ball away in dangerous positions multiple times. His half time substitution was a logical consequence.
FW Christian Pulisic, 4 -- The 19-year-old is experiencing a dip in form at the moment which is perfectly normal for someone his age. It speaks volumes that none of the veteran players are there to step up.
FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 3 -- Was booed by parts of the home crowd after every touch he took -- fortunately for him there were only 19 touches. To be fair, it was not a performance out of the ordinary against a deep-sitting side.
FW Jadon Sancho, 6 -- Almost every attack went through Sancho throughout the game, which, on one hand, shows how promising the 17-year-old Englishman is, but on the other how utterly uninspired his colleagues were.
Substitutes
MF Mario Gotze, 4 -- Slightly better than Castro but that's about it.
FW Andriy Yarmolenko, 3 -- The Ukrainian struggled off the bench, which will bring further scrutiny to Dortmund's transfer business.
FW Alexander Isak, N/R -- Not a factor after coming on as a substitute.