Jadon Sancho, Marco Reus, Axel Witsel and Paco Alcacer all combined brilliantly put Bayern Munich to the sword in the German Supercup in a rampant 2-0 victory. After the Yellow Wall pressed Munich all the way to the last game of the season last campaign only to lose the title at the last, could Dortmund’s Supercup performance over their rivals ultimately be a sign of things to come? As the new Bundesliga season gets underway this weekend, can Lucien Favre’s exciting bunch of superstars finally dethrone the German Champions?
“They won the double last year so we tried to make a point.”
Said Sancho after Dortmund had done just that in the German Supercup triumph, kicking off the 2019/20 campaign on a hugely positive note. Sancho then went on to proclaim that this maybe Dortmund’s year, and rightly so.
After such a rampant performance put in by Sancho and co, players and fans will always have reason for optimism and hope heading into the new campaign but there is a justifiable cause and its more than the fact that Dortmund pushed Bayern very close last season.
As is always the case with the Dortmund hierarchy especially sporting director Michael Zorc who has moved very astutely with the signings of Mats Hummels – returning from Bayern Munich – Thorgan Hazard, Julian Brandt and Nico Schulz. These are players who have all imparted their own personal imprint on the Bundesliga. What’s most vital for Favre is that all of these signings provide him with the added quality needed and is a total upgrade on what they already have.
If Dortmund are to be firing on all cylinders next season, then such signings can become much of the benchmark for Favre’s success this coming season. Mats Hummels, a player who finds himself back on home territory will provide Favre’s defence with the steel, experience and the the defensive know-how transforming Dortmund into a solid unit once again. With promising central defensive players such as Michael Akanji, Dan-Axel Zagadou and young prodigy Leonardo Balerdi, they all would jump at the chance to work with a high-calibre superstar such as Mats Hummels. You could argue that Dortmund’s struggles in the Bundesliga last season was closing out games that you’d have bet your mortgage on them win, its those small margins that cost Dortmund the German title. Now it looks as though Lucien Favre has learnt from those failures and the re-signing of Mats Hummels will surely put an end to lingering defensive issues.
How about the quality additions of Thorgan Hazard and Julian Brandt? Along with Jadon Sancho, Marco Reus and Mario Gotze, Borussia Dortmund now hold 5 of the best attacking talents in probably the whole of Europe let alone Germany. Certainly, it will provide Favre with a selection headache, but its a pretty healthy one. Whoever Favre deploys, it will be a frightening attack for an oppositions defences. Thorgan Hazard – brother of Eden Hazard – has established himself as one of the brightest and most feared attacking midfielders of the past few seasons in Germany while plying his trade for former club Borussia Mönchengladbach. Capable of playing anywhere across the attacking three positions behind the striker, Hazard is blessed with great skill sets, trickery, set-piece quality and a real for a pass which makes him such a well-rounded attacking midfielder and a player who can truly take Dortmund to the next level both domestically and on the European stage.
Though, if you think Thorgan Hazard is good – which he really is – then fellow new signing Julian Brandt can be just as good as Hazard or become even better. The former Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid may only just be 23 but he has been around a long while becoming an experienced member of Joachim Low’s Germany team and also becoming one of the most complete young midfielders in the whole of Europe. Constantly linked with big moves over the past few seasons with the likes of Bayern Munich and Liverpool, Brandt found himself at the fulcrum of Bayer Leverkusen’s attack alongside fellow German prodigy Kai Havertz, Leon Bailey and Kevin Volland.
Brandt is a player of extraordinary abilities, well versed in the art of creativity and also defending from the front. Capable of playing also in the attacking three positions behind the striker, the German wonderkid can also play as a rampaging no.8 or even a calm and an assertive orchestrating no.6, hid versatility was at times the calling card for Bayer Leverkusen’s attacking philosophy. Rather than being on the end of passes, he was the one providing the defence splitting passes that severed many rigged oppositions to pieces. What’s also brilliant about Julian Brandt is his effectiveness and intelligence in counter-attacks, he is ever-so capable of picking the right passes at the right moments that made Leverkusen so destructive when breaking into the final third. 8 goals and 11 assists last season are stats truly reflecting of his brilliance in the final third.
If you couple Brandt’s statistics of last season with Thorgan Hazard’s own of 13 goals and 11 assists then you can only come to the conclusion that Borussia Dortmund may have no troubles toppling Bayern Munich in the forthcoming season. With Bayern Munich struggling with injuries to key attacking players such as Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman on the eve of the start of the Bundesliga season, things may not be looking rosy as expected in Munich.
While Borussia Dortmund have all their summer business all but completed, Bayern Munich have failed to secure their top targets such as Manchester City’s Leroy Sane who’s long-term completely rules him out of a move to the Allianz Arena, instead Bayern Munich have gone for Inter Milan and Croatian international winger Ivan Perisic, a player who is more than capable of replacing the likes of Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben through his hard-working, dogged and ruthless style, but is it enough for Niko Kovac? For Dortmund though, Lucien Favre can truly sit-back and ponder on how Dortmund can finally topple their Bundesliga counterparts once again.
Judging by Jadon Sancho’s earlier comments – whether it may be his last in the black and yellow colours of Dortmund – this could be the year he gets his hands on a first ever major trophy. The England international campaign last year was one that was truly warranting of a major honour only for his team to fall at the last hurdle but with Dortmund’s major squad improvements this summer and with additions that will truly complement his electric and exciting style. His 13 goals and 14 assists of last season was truly remarkable but this coming campaign, we could surely see Sancho take his fledgling abilities to the next level. His start to the 2019/20 has already got off to a flyer with his contribution in game against Bayern Munich. A goal and an assist for the wonderkid, picking up where he left off last season.
His rampaging and dazzling runs down the right hand side are a real sight to behold. What’s so unique about Sancho as well as his knack getting bums off seats is that at such a young age, his decision-making and knowing when to make a telling run, pass or even shoot is so pleasing to see. It’s frightening to think that at the age of just 19, his game and all-round abilities has matured to the point where it would be criminal not build a side around his flawless talents. It’s what Favre is doing at Dortmund and its what Gareth Southgate is trying to achieve for England. It’s clear to see that Jadon Sancho is enjoying his football in Germany, his decision to depart Manchester City when he did is a true reflection of the belief he has in his own abilities and now its in full effect under the lights of the Signal Iduna Park.
One player who will also be hoping to make an impression next season in front of goal is former Barcelona and Valencia striker Paco Alcacer. We could now be seeing a player that really feels at home, and after a promising season last season scoring 20 goals, can Alcacer also take his game to the next level? There is no reason why the Spanish hotshot and with added creativity behind him with Julian Brandt and Thorgan Hazard, he certainly won’t be short of goals this coming season. They always say that a team capable of winning the league needs a striker capable of scoring 25+ goals and Alcacer may well place himself in that bracket finally. A real poacher in an around the penalty and his finish against Bayern Munich at the weekend just goes to show his predatory instincts. Last season was a stop-start one for Alcacer, constantly being in and out of the first XI, and its not because of him but that Favre chose to tinker with Mario Gotze as a false-nine to allow Dortmund more fluidity in the attacking department and that is certainly how Favre could line-up once again next season with the added qualities of Hazard and Brandt:
So much quality.
Paco Alcacer is sure to be Favre’s favoured option up-front but whether he can be the man that Favre can rely constantly even on the big occasions still remains to be seen. What’s for certain, is that, despite Alcacer’s predatory qualities he will still need to convince his teammates and manager that he is truly capable of becoming the striking force that Dortmund would need to topple Bayern Munich. Can he match the goal-scoring exploits of Robert Lewandowski? This coming season may just provide us with the answers.
Nonetheless, while Axel Witsel screens in front of his defence, that will allow Julian Brandt the license and freedom to move up and become effective in the attacking third. With either of Achraf Hakimi and Raphael Guerreiro providing an extra body in attack, Dortmund will still have the nous, experience and tactical awareness to block out a potential counter attack against them. Though, Favre may opt for this line-up against weaker opposition, one that will try and sit deep and frustrate the attack but with the abundance of creativity in Favre’s arsenal, they will have no excuses if they are unable to break down such defences.
Whether its a 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 or even a compact 4-1-4-1 setup, Favre knows the options he has both in midfield and in attack are all capable of executing a major assault on rivals Bayern Munich. While most will look to Axel Witsel and Mario Gotze, Dortmund still have quality and assurance in players such as promising German midfielders Mahmoud Dahoud and Julian Weigl and also efficient Danish midfielder Thomas Delaney. Also in defence, Dortmund are well stocked. Mats Hummels, Omar Toprak, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Michael Akanji provide Favre with experience, defensive awareness and intelligence, power, strength, speed and an added blend of youthful exuberance. This Dortmund team surely is exciting.
Not only will Dortmund need to navigate towards Bayern Munich in search of the Bundesliga title but also they will need to try and overcome potential bumps in the road in teams such as Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig who is under new management in Julian Nagelsmann, who himself will hoping to cause a few stirs on the road to the Bundesliga title. Schalke 04, Hoffenheim and Mochengladbach all have the potential to hamper Dortmund’s ambitions this coming season. However, with the experience and talent of Favre’s squad, can they successfully overcome those hurdles and show – as well as their style and brilliance – can they show the grit, determination and championship know-how that Bayern have exerted on several occasions to finally become the best team in Germany?
As Sancho optimistically predicted, this may be the year Dortmund finally topple their Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich. All good things must come to an end as they say and Bayern’s SEVEN year dominance in the Bundesliga may just be weighing heavily on their shoulders as things stand. Borussia Dortmund’s new and improved squad may just finally reign supreme.
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