The Austrian could not be doing more to remain as manager, with his side now looking as if they have put in a shift
On other weekends, it would have been a cause for glumness. Yet even in falling a place below bitter rivals Schalke, from second to third, it felt as if it had been a fairly successful day for Borussia Dortmund. They emerged from Saturday evening’s Topspiel at RB Leipzig not only with a point – and having maintained a three-point lead over their hosts in the race for Champions League qualification – but with the satisfying feeling of having put in a shift.
They can be few things that their coach, Peter Stöger, cherishes as much as this. Many may still feel he was fortunate to get this post after his sacking by the bottom club, Cologne, but he has not hesitated to put his stamp on the side. Having criticised their lack of combativeness in recent matches – and particularly after the lucky draw at Atalanta that took BVB through to Thursday’s Europa League last-16 tie against Salzburg – this performance was exactly what Stöger was after.
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Mönchengladbach 2-2 Werder Bremen, RB Leipzig 1-1 Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke 1-0 Hertha Berlin, Hamburg 0-0 Mainz, Augsburg 0-2 Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 Hannover, Freiburg 0-4 Bayern Munich, Cologne 2-3 Stuttgart
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