Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich: Jurgen Klopp's side are a shadow of their former selves
Borussia are lying third from bottom after a disastrous start in the Bundesliga, with their all-conquering rivals Bayern already well out of reach
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Cast your mind back to the end of the 2010/11 season in the German Bundesliga; that was the last time Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund didn’t make up the top two places.
That year, only Bayer Leverkusen separated the two modern day German giants. Now fourteen teams separate the two as Dortmund lie third bottom, 19 points behind leaders Bayern.
Dortmund won the league both that season and the year after, before Bayern stormed to the title the past two years to take them to a record 23 Bundesliga trophies.
Despite the recent domination by Pep Guardiola’s side, Dortmund have challenged them in recent competitions, creating an exciting contest. So why has it all gone wrong this season? It’s a tough one to explain.
The summer transfer window is always a crucial part of pre-season preparations and one thing you should never do is sell your top goalscorer to your title rivals. That’s exactly what Dortmund did in the form of Robert Lewandowski – and even worse, they didn’t receive a penny for him.
The Polish international became the second high-profile player in a year to be sold to Bayern with Mario Goetze making the switch the summer before. Lewandowski scored 103 goals in 195 games at Dortmund, and it could be argued that the striker fired Dortmund onto the world stage.
Much like the Luiz Suarez situation at Liverpool, Dortmund have struggled to replace their star man, with numerous signings falling short of expectation. Dortmund invested in the likes of Nuri Sahin, Adrian Ramos and Italian forward Ciro Immobile, with the latter two scoring only four goals between them in ten games in the league so far.
In a cruel lesson, Lewandowski even scored in their first meeting of the season as the home side came out 2-1 winners at the Allianz Arena in November.
Bayern brought in better players with better business. Xabi Alonso has to be one of the bargain buys of the summer at an estimated £5 million. Medhi Benatia and Juan Bernat have also been welcome additions to their squad.
Injuries have not helped Dortmund either with star player Marco Reus recently suffering another injury blow that sees him out until January.
The disparity between the two clubs is reflected in the differing fortunes of their managers, Bayern's Pep Guardiola and Borussia's Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp, the two-time German manager of the year, boasts five trophies with the club since he arrived in 2008, yet three of those came in the two successful seasons Dortmund won the Bundesliga back in 2010/11 and 2011/12. His main highlight since then has been guiding Dortmund towards a Champions League runners-up medal in 2013.
A clip of Klopp thanking the Dortmund fans for their support, in which he simulated drawing a heart around the Dortmund crest on his shirt, circulated around Twitter after his sides’ 1-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach. His heart is clearly in the right place and he still has the backing of the fans, but for how much longer? Dortmund fans have a big impact on the way the club is run and once you lose their support, you may as well pack your bags.
In Munich, Guardiola can do no wrong after his side went the first 12 games of the league season undefeated, with nine wins and three draws. Bayern’s lethal ability on the counter-attack is proving too much for their fellow Bundesliga rivals.
It’s difficult to understand why Dortmund’s performances in the Champions League – in which they currently top their group having conceded just one goal – aren’t being replicated in the league against weaker opposition.
At the start of the season, Bayern would have been considered clear title favourites with Klopp’s side second. Dortmund's title challenge, thought, just hasn't got started, and while the factors above have played a part fans, players and pundits are all scratching their heads as to just why Dortmund are struggling so much.
Hopefully we will see Dortmund return to their full potential and challenge Bayern once again. But for now, they lie well and truly in the shadow of their rivals.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments