Bundesliga
Ambitious Dortmund hold defensive trumps
The resurgence of Borussia Dortmund under Niko Kovač has many facets, but their remarkable defensive solidity is one of their standout features and gives them a vital asset as they aim to build on a strong start and bring silverware back to the club.
The old adage in football is that attacks win you games but defences win you titles. Kovač is clearly a follower of that philosophy as he instills a seriously solid platform for Dortmund to build further, and potentially bid for honours, this season.
The workmanlike 1-0 win at Augsburg on Matchday 9 was Dortmund's sixth clean sheet in nine Bundesliga matches so far this term.
Watch: Niko Kovač's BVB flip tactical switch
Dortmund's six goals conceded in the league is second only to runaway leaders Bayern Munich (four), as is the number of shots they have faced (83).
Impressively, Kovač has bolstered the defence with limited summer transfer activity in that department, with Aarón Anselmino's loan signing from Chelsea being the sole defensive addition.
The 20-year-old Argentinian made his second Bundesliga appearance in a back three in Augsburg. He cut a composed figure, too, winning 60 percent of his challenges.
It helped that the youngster had the commanding presence of Waldemar Anton alongside him, alongside the in-form Ramy Bensebaini. Anton and Bensebaini have jointly won the most duels at Dortmund this season - 83.
The absence of another defensive pillar, Nico Schlotterbeck, due to illness, was not felt in the slightest in Augsburg.
The Germany international forms part of the regular back three, but right-back Julian Ryerson was dropped back there in the 2-0 win at Heidenheim on Matchday 3, while Niklas Süle started the narrow Klassiker loss to Bayern.
Watch: Pass-master Schlotterbeck
The level of organisation at the back is coming up trumps time and again, with Dortmund yet to concede a single goal from either an opposing free-kick or a counterattack in this season's Bundesliga.
It isn’t all down to the men at the back, either: 12 of the 15 players that featured in Augsburg won over 50 percent of their challenges. Sporting director Sebastian Kehl said after the match that "at the moment we are just hard to break down."
Midfielder Pascal Groß added: "It's good to be solid, as these are the kind of games we would have lost in recent years." Indeed, you have to go back to 2002/03 to find the last time a Dortmund side conceded fewer than six goals in their opening nine games.
The recent dramatic DFB Cup win in Frankfurt showed another key reason why Kovač's charges are such a tough nut to crack: beat the defence and you have the ever-sharp Gregor Kobel ready to stop you.
Kobel made several spectacular saves to keep his side in the tie before foiling Farès Chaïbi from the spot as Dortmund triumphed on penalties.
The one competition that Dortmund are yet to show their defensive steeliness in is the UEFA Champions League, with 11 goals conceded from their opening four league stage matches.
With Villarreal and Bodø/Glimt both visiting Dortmund before Christmas, there is every chance the Black and Yellows can claim a clean sheet on that stage soon, too.
They are back to Bundesliga business in the meantime, with Hamburg, the joint-lowest scorers in the division with eight goals, having the unenviable task of trying to break through Dortmund's dominant backline this Saturday (3.30pm CET).