Three takeaways from Eintracht Frankfurt 2 - 0 Borussia Dortmund | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund has definitely started 2025 on the wrong foot. The Black-and-Yellows remain winless in the New Year after losing 2-nil to Eintracht Frankfurt. Not only did the players disappoint the fans once more, but the manager, Nuri Sahin, seems to be in the hot seat more than ever.

Following the midweek loss to Holstein Kiel, the Turkish manager, seeing his job on the line, decided to switch formations once again. Waldemar Anton and Pascal Groß were back to the starting XI, while Duranville and Sabitzer were dropped to the bench.

Emre Can stayed on the team as a third center-back option, with Sahin likely aiming to mirror Frankfurt's back-three formation. However, the changes did not work either offensively or defensively. For instance, Dortmund created only one big chance in 90 minutes while accumulating 0.84 xG in 12 shots.

On the other end, the team looked overly exposed in defensive transitions, primarily through the flanks, with Knauff and Kristensen exploring those openings. The first goal started with a huge gap left by BVB's press, and the Danish had all the space and time to assist Hugo Ekitike.

Despite an initial half in which only Guirassy's header to the side post threatened Frankfurt, Sahin kept the same scheme for the second half. A couple of subs, like Adeyemi and Yan Couto, helped Dortmund to create a few chances, but in the end, it was not enough to equalize.

The Black-and-Yellows even tried to complain about some refereeing decisions, particularly on two possible penalty calls on Gittens and Guirassy, respectively. However, neither the referee nor VAR attended to the player's requests, and the Eagles still had time to finish it all, with Højlund capitalizing on Emre Can's mistake.

Only time will tell whether Nuri Sahin will remain as BVB's manager or not, but until then, here are three takeaways from Dortmund's 2-nil defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt: