As if he hadn't hurt them enough with his goal, Yussuf Poulsen gave the Borussia Dortmund players a few poisonous words on their way home. "I've never seen a game in Dortmund in which they made so many mistakes in the build-up," said Poulsen after making a significant contribution to RB Leipzig's 2-1 win against BVB. What he did not say resonated subliminally in the message, but very loudly: It had never been so easy against this now weak opponent. The Danish international may well be consulted as an expert for such an assessment. With Leipzig he had recently been regularly involved in exciting duels with BVB. At the most recent meeting, Dortmund were still clearly ahead with 4-1 goals, that was at the final of the DFB Cup.

According to the generally accepted view, according to which FC Bayern is to be regarded as the undisputed king of German football, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund have argued most violently over the succession in recent years. Not only athletically, but also in the favor of potential entrants, the two contenders fought a duel at eye level. Sometimes with the happier end for BVB, sometimes with the better outcome for Leipzig. The meeting on Saturday, on the other hand, was far less close than the Leipzig 2-1 suggests. “We invested far too little to be able to win such a game,” said Marco Reus. The lack of willingness was not the only thing that annoyed the Dortmund captain, who had achieved the interim and completely surprising equalization.

Coach Marco Rose had relied on a system with three central defenders, who were supported by their own two wingers in the event of opposing possession. This chain of three or five did not fit Reus at all. "With the five-chain we have one less man in the center who can press with us, we can't get along with that, you have to be clear about that," said Reus on Sky TV. The Leipzig 1-0 through Christopher Nkunku served as evidence. The goal was preceded by a pass from central defender Josip Gvardiol, who was able to lead the ball first and then play it unrestricted. The Dortmunders standing around made no move in this scene to put pressure on the Leipziger.

Trainer Rose did not want to accept the clear criticism of his captain, he referred to the poor implementation of his specifications.

“The basic order is always one thing, the movement in the basic order is always the other, and it wasn't good today.

It's not a question of the system, we've already scored points this season with a back three, the discussion is idle, ”said Rose.

At BVB, you are currently making yourself uncomfortable in autumn, like someone who voluntarily opens all the windows after heating.

During the week, the loaned Marin Pongracic had badly etched against his actual employer VfL Wolfsburg and also divulged some internal information that was not heard too gladly in Dortmund.

The list of injuries is too long

For example, that striker Erling Haaland will probably be out longer than the six weeks initially assumed. Without its most dangerous attacker, BVB struggles more badly than right through the competitions. In the Champions League there were two clear defeats against Ajax Amsterdam, reaching the round of 16 is anything but certain. In the Bundesliga, the performance fluctuated, but at least the point yield was right. After the defeat in Leipzig they are four points behind Bayern again. The public disagreement between coach Rose and captain Reus comes at the worst possible time.

Rose had taken over the team in the summer from Edin Terzic, who now works as technical director at BVB. After a good start, Rose is making Dortmund's injury problem more and more difficult. In addition to Haaland, Emre Can has been missing for a long time, Mats Hummels struggles through the season, he is almost never really pain-free. In Leipzig, three possible left-backs were missing in the person of Raphael Guerreiro, Marius Wolf and Nico Schulz. The many failures mean that Rose always has to bet on the same players despite the tight schedule.

“We invested a lot of energy against Ajax.

It was only a short time to regenerate, we have few players.

Most of them had to try again, even though they had been up and running for 90 minutes.

You don't have to look for excuses, but it is part of it.

You noticed today that it lacked the liveliness and sharpness that it needed, ”said goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, Dortmund's best in Leipzig.

The upcoming international break will be good for the team, said Kobel.

Trainer Rose will also use the time.

A lot needs to be worked through.

More than the Dortmund coach would like.