Great play by Sancho with Guerriero to set up Sancho for the clincher inside the 6 yard box ... and he kicks it at the keeper. Choked away the clinching goal.
Good work by Gio holding up possession in the dying moments here. BVB hold on. Gio did what he was tasked with and helped keep the lead. Would love to see him get a start during the teeth of a game and not when BVB are just trying to bleed one out.
Quiet performance in a quiet match. 100% passing accuracy though, which is a good stat when the team is focusing on holding a 1-goal lead.
Uninspired win ... but they kept the title race alive and are seven points ahead of fourth and fifth for a Champions League spot. Gio did his job well, though the whole team was more conservative than I would have liked once he came on.
I thought there was a moment or to where they could have played a through ball to Gio but it never came off. As noted would love to see him on when BVB is still in attack and not bleed off clock mode.
he draws a lot of fouls. I think it's due in part to his long strides/big frame with good close control excellent skill to have
Maybe I'm just seeing what I want to believe but unlike Pulisic after he gets knocked down a few times he doesn't try and then play too quickly to avoid contact.
Ball being played on the left side. Reyna has dropped to the touchline and plays a one touch pass and the ball eventually makes it to the top of the box. Reyna stands in the same spot the entire time and watches. He doesn’t move forward (and he might have moved to the spot where the ball was played) and doesn’t move back to help protect the 1-0 lead while a few other players went forward.
Not sure he was "brilliant" but he did the job Favre tasked him with. He had to keep sliding around because of the freedom they give Sancho and for a 17 year old that can't be easy. Looked like he started off on the wing and then moved more centrally after the late subs.
I should say that I thought he was fine today and has mostly been fine in the games I’ve seen. It’s just something I’ve noticed
Yeah... Brilliant isn't the term I would use... He didn't flash as much as he did last week. But he was tasked with holding the ball and the lead and he didn't disappoint. The announcers said that the defender was going for the ball on the yellow but he wasn't even close. If Gio gets by clean he is one-on-one with the keeper. That was a huge foul for Hertha to keep them in it and a bummer for Gio/BVB fans. He was also banged down on the touchline again but the ref didn't call the foul. At any rate, aside from last weekend, BVB tends to be in cruise control by the time Gio gets an opportunity. I too would love to see him get a start so that he can be part of the winning offense. Brandt actually had one of is poorest games today but made the key header assist for the goal. He is the one player that I could see Gio getting a start over down the stretch... you can't sit Sancho or Hazard. But when Cookie Monster comes back it is going to be even more difficult to get meaningful minutes. In the end, he is way ahead of schedule... so I am looking to next year for a break-thru. But in the meantime, it sure would be nice to see him get his first league goal.
I’d say age-adjusted that “brilliant” is appropriate. However, he needs to move up to the next level- actual brilliant.
Dod gamn, Gio is smooth as hot butter. He almost always makes smart runs to attack or open up space, his first touch is sublime and he has the vision, creativity, and skill to see and execute clever passes under pressure. Really encouraged he came on for Brandt who was playing well and to my eye plays more central and deeper than a role Gio would take up. He's not subbed on for Hazard, Sancho, Haaland, Brandt, I'm sure others. Really good sign when the coach is willing to sub him in for that variety of players.
Match context is everything. Guarantee there was someone on the coaching staff yelling the German equivalent of "KEEP IT!" every pass that was played those last 15 minutes.