This is the post that I have been hoping to make since
the beginning of the season, though I never believed I would be doing so.
As a Borussia Dortmund fan since 2011, I was pessimistic
about my beloved Schwarzgelbe’s chances of success heading into the season. In
the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich looked like an unstoppable juggernaut which would
roll to yet another league title, while in the Champions League, Dortmund were
drawn into a tough group, as they were forced to play against Atlético Madrid
and Monaco – two teams which I would not have been surprised to see Dortmund
lose both group games to.
Yet, after approximately two months of the season, Lucien
Favre’s team are top of the Bundesliga, and even more impressively, recorded a
4-0 Champions League victory over Atlético to remain top of the group.
This season is looking far more promising for Dortmund
than last season, when they were only fourth in the league and were knocked out
in the group stage of the Champions League, then the Europa League’s round of
16.
So just how were they able to improve so rapidly?
The most obvious factor has to be their off-season
acquisitions. After the departure of superstar striker Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang to Arsenal in January, Dortmund struggled because they had no
replacement ready to step in for the Gabonese ace.
However, that is no longer the case.
On August 28, 2018, Borussia Dortmund brought in Spanish
striker Paco Alcácer on loan from Barcelona. Alcácer had been languishing on
Barcelona’s bench, but almost immediately upon his arrival at Signal Iduna
Park, he began to put the football world on notice.
The Valencian has been absolutely sensational thus far
this season. At the moment, he is the Bundesliga’s joint-top scorer with seven
goals, equal with Luka Jović of Eintracht Frankfurt. Alcácer even managed to
score a hattrick as a substitute, leading Dortmund to a 4-3 win over Augsburg
in doing so.
Two of Dortmund’s other signings have also made
understated but important contributions.
Midfield duo Thomas Delaney and Axel Witsel, who arrived
at Dortmund from Werder Bremen and Tianjin Quanjian respectively, have fit
perfectly into Favre’s system and tactics. Although both signings went somewhat
under the radar, particularly that of Delaney, when Dortmund play, the impact
of both players can clearly be seen.
The appointment of Favre as coach has also been crucial.
Lucien Favre is one of the most underrated football
coaches. In four years at the helm of Borussia Mönchengladbach between 2011 and
2015, he led Die Fohlen to two top-four finishes in that span, a feat they had
not achieved since finishing fourth and third respectively in 1986 and 1987.
He also led Nice to third place in Ligue 1, their highest
league finish in years.
Neither Gladbach nor Nice were expected to play at the
level that they did under Favre, thus proving the former Switzerland
international’s credentials as an excellent coach.
Dortmund’s young talent has also begun to blossom.
Jadon Sancho, Manuel Akanji, Christian Pulisic, Abdou
Diallo, Mahmoud Dahoud, and Jacob Bruun Larsen have all been key contributors
for Dortmund thus far this season. All six are between the ages of 18 and 23.
Thus, this team is not only set up well for this season,
but for the future as well. If most of their young core stays together, Alcácer
signs a permanent deal as is expected, and their veterans such as Marco Reus,
Mario Götze, and Łukasz Piszczek continue to provide stability and guidance for
Dortmund’s young stars, this could go on to be Dortmund’s strongest team since
the Jürgen Klopp era.
Dortmund look like a contender to not only win their
first Bundesliga title since 2012, but also make a deep Champions League run.
Though it is unlikely that the Ruhr club will go on to win the biggest prize in
European club football, this team has been defying expectations throughout this
season, so who’s to say?
Borussia Dortmund are a club known for their extremely
passionate fanbase. During home games, the “Yellow Wall” is truly a sight to
behold. Now, after some difficult years, these fans, myself included, have once
again been granted the privilege of witnessing their team perform at an elite
level.
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