Dortmund Can Definitely Launch A Challenge This Season
It’s been an encouraging start to this season for Borussia Dortmund fans. Four points from two matches is respectable and it leaves them two points off top spot in fourth place.
Arguably, they should have a 100 percent record. Defensive mistakes in their opening match away at St Pauli, saw them draw 3-3 before a strong 3-0 win at home to Union Berlin. Encouragingly, it doesn’t look like scoring goals will be an issue.
Star striker, Serhou Guirassy, who they signed last summer from Stuttgart looks set to continue his fine form from last season and is already joint-top scorer with three goals, along with Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Michael Olise.
Encouraging Summer Recruitment Campaign
Dortmund have also recruited well in the summer – the highlight arguably being the arrival of Jobe Bellingham (deja vu?) from Sunderland in a deal for approximately £25 million.
There are hopes that the midfielder can follow in the footsteps of older brother Jude, who also moved to the German club and excelled before completing a megabucks switch to Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, savvy signings elsewhere indicated a continued trust in young English-based talent. Midfielder, Carney Chukwuemeka, 23, arrived from Chelsea for around £15 million, 23-year-old right-back, Yan Couto made the switch from Manchester City at a similar price-tag, while striker Fabio Silva (23) departed Wolves for a figure that was about the same.
There is also hope that 23-year-old Swedish left-back Daniel Svensson (a £4 million or so arrival from Danish club North Zealand), will be a canny acquisition.
Dortmund Retained Most Of Their Squad
There was probably an inevitability that at least one big player was probably going to leave in the summer and the club did well to get around £50 million for talented English winger Jamie Gittens (20) from Chelsea which was reinvested cleverly.
Most fans probably would have liked to have kept hold of prodigious German striker Youssoufa Moukoko (20), who joined Rosenborg FC Copenhagen for a price tag south of £5 million, while the same could also apply to 21-year-old French centre-back Soumalia Coulibaly who switched to Strasbourg for around £5 million.
That said, compared to many of their competitors, like RB Leipzig, who lost start strikers Benjamin Sesko to Manchester United and Lois Openda (albeit on loan), to Juventus, Dortmund have kept their squad together.
We have seen Bayer Leverkusen virtually asset-stripped – Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong joined Liverpool, Amine Adli went to Bournemouth, Granit Xhaka (Sunderland), while star centre-back and striker, Piero Hincapie and Victor Boniface joined Arsenal and Werder Bremen, respectively on loan. Granted, they made some savvy replacements, but they will take a while to gel – if at all. Let’s also not forget title-winning manager Xabi Alonso moved to Real Madrid and that his replacement Erik Ten Haag is already out the door.
Good Chance Of Challenging
While it’s likely to come as no surprise that the Bundesliga favourites are Bayern Munich, Dortmund definitely are capable of springing a surprise.
Guirassy is one of the best sharpshooters in the league, Bellingham can make a big impact and they have great support from precocious talents, Karim Adeyemi and Julien Duranville, plus ‘veteran’ Julian Brandt.
On his day, Gregor Kobel is one of the best goalkeeper’s in Europe, though fans are right to be concerned about injuries to centre-backs Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Sule – if they can get these fit again, Dortmund might just be able to put up a good fight.
