After an absolutely dreadful start to the season, German giants Borussia Dortmund are once again on the rise. The winter’s fear of relegation has finally been put aside, and the team now looking upwards the table, still having a good chance of reaching the Europa League, and even a small chance of making a push towards the Champions League. All inn all, things are finally looking brighter at Dortmund.
How could this great team even get to the point of facing relegation? Well, to start off, Jurgen Klopp plays a very comprehensive style of football. Within this system, every player needs to be at their best for the system to work at its best. Furthermore, this means that all players are equally as important to each other. One player having an “off-day” will effect the rest of the team, even more than it would other teams that use a different style of play. While some teams are dependant on their best players to perform to tip the scales in their favour, this is not necessarily the case at Borussia Dortmund.
Yes, key players are important, but more important is the composition of the team, and that every player fits into his designated role. If the player does not complete his task, it will increase the amount of work put on his team-mates. When this system works, Dortmund are virtually unbeatable. The only trouble is, when the system is not at its best, the team collapse. Needless to say, the system did not work in the first half of the season.
Even though Dortmund are more dependant on a team working well collectively than the skills of one or more star players, of course they still need to replace their best players. The new players need to be equally as good, or at least fit into the team and the system. While this can be said to have been successfully achieved by Marco Reus after the departure of Mario Götze, Dortmund have not been as lucky with other replacements.
While many thought Dortmund would collapse a bit after the sale of Götze, it was the departure of striker Robert Lewandowski which hit them the hardest. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ciro Immobile were brought in as replacements: two very exciting prospects. While Aubameyang has proven a versatile, fast and goal scoring player, Immobile has not had the same success, and almost seem as immobile as his name states. With Immobile not being able to replicate his goalscoring stats at Torino, Dortmund have had a hard time finding the net in many games this season. The rumours now suggest that Immoblie is on his way out of Borussia Dortmund, having put his house up for sale.
What baffled many people was the team’s progress in the Champions League. Dortmund played considerably better in Europe than they were in the Bundesliga at that point, and had no problem getting through the group stages, eliminated only last week in the Last 16 by high-flying Juventus. Many experts have tried to explain this difference in quality from the domestic league to the Champions League. A good explanation may be that Dortmund faced lowered expectations in Europe, because of their domestic form, and that there was therefore less pressure.
Manager Jürgen Klopp will still be hunted and wanted as manager by other top European sides, as he has demonstrated his philosophy still works. Howeer, Klopp has not taken any of the opportunities presented to him as of yet. It is thought that the German is very well settled at Dortmund, and that he is now focusing on rectifying this season into a success.
Dortmund have won four and drawn two of their last six matches in the Bundesliga. The real turning point was the recent 3-0 win against local rivals Schalke 04. In the derby, Dortmund looked themselves again, with everything working perfectly. They have no more European matches to play, and they are able to fully focus on the Bundesliga. Borussia Dortmund are a team well worth watching for the rest of the season: a sleeping giant back on the rise. Klopp’s side is one of the best sides to watch when playing at their top level, and with this spark has once again been ignited.
