Hamann attacks Brandt: Where is his fighting spirit at BVB?

Hamann attacks Brandt: Where is his fighting spirit at BVB?

In an exciting Bundesliga game, Borussia Dortmund (BVB) surprisingly secured a point against leaders Bayern Munich last weekend. Although the result of 1: 1 for the Dortmund is positive, Julian Brandt's defensive behavior was particularly criticized. The 29-year-old professional, who played a decisive cross on Raphaël Guerreiro during the game, quickly turned into a main criticism in the discussion after the game. The TV expert Dietmar Hamann expressed concerns about Brandt's passivity and lack of commitment to help the team actively helped at "Sky90-The Football Debate". Hamann criticized that Brandt often "underhabled" in difficult moments and called for BVB coach Niko Kovač an immediate replacement of the player to set an example.

Niko Kovač defended Brandt. He pointed out that the performance of an individual depends heavily on the overall performance of the team. Nevertheless, both Hamann and Lothar Matthäus, who had previously also criticized Brandt for his weak performance, recognized that the player in the current form is not a reliable constant factor for BVB. Matthäus brought Brandt's lack of emotions, especially after a failed free kick in a previous game against VfB Stuttgart. Kovac, on the other hand, encouraged Brandt to find its way back to old strength and compared his skills positively with the talents of Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.

criticism and defense

The public debate about Brandt is further fueled by the room that the interviews and analyzes take. Hamann confronted Kovač during the interview with the question of how he wanted to end the discussion about Brandt's performance, which fluctuates between excellent and below -average appearances. These concerns are not unfounded, because Brandt has scored four goals and eleven templates in 39 missions this season so far. Nevertheless, the defensive game and the use of the player do not seem to meet the claim of a BVB player.

In the analysis, however, general trends are also visible. The performance analysis in football, which, among other things, evaluates player movements, tactical patterns and the dynamics of the team, could be important for Kovač and his team. Nowadays, performance analysts use modern tools for collecting data in order to check and improve game performance. A good example of this is how the analysis of player performance is optimized by systems such as Catapult, whereby the player movements and statistics are systematically recorded. Such instruments could also be crucial for Brandt to increase its defensive performance and general engagement in the game.

• important performance indicators in the analysis:
• possession: control over the game.
• fit: effectiveness of the passing game.
• shots on the goal: effectiveness of the offensive game.
• defensive metrics: assessment of defensive performance.

The question remains whether Brandt will be able to increase again with the help of analysis and targeted training and to silence the critical voices. Kovač is optimistic and believes in the return of Brandt's potential, but time will have to show whether the player can withstand this pressure.

In the meantime, both the BVB leadership and the fans remain excited about how to proceed with Brandt's achievements and the general team form.