A pulsating and vibrant night for Borussia Dortmund saw Edin Terzic’s men put 4 past a dreadful Eintracht Frankfurt at Signal Iduna Park. The ‘Yellow Wall’ was absolutely rocking as Jude Bellingham, Donyell Malen and captain Mats Hummels scored in BVB’s 4-0 win against Oliver Glasner’s mid-table side. Perhaps last night’s demolition of ‘The Eagles’ was a symbol of the changing tide in German football as Dortmund were finally able to capitalize on Bayern Munich’s dropped points.
Following last week’s 3-3 draw to VfB Stuttgart, it seemed that Dortmund just could not take advantage of their games in hand. Following Bayern Munich’s 1-1 draw to Hoffenheim, Dortmund had a glorious opportunity to reach the summit of the Bundesliga by defeating relegation-bound Stuttgart. But, a 97th-minute equalizer from Congolese forward, Mvumpa, crushed the spirits of BVB fans worldwide as they failed to collect all 3 points and leap-frog Bayern in the table.
However, following Bayern’s horrific 3-1 loss to Mainz, Dortmund maintained their composure and dismantled Frankfurt on their home turf. BVB’s victory sees Dortmund reach the top of the Bundesliga table with 5 games to go. Currently, Terzic’s side hold a one-point lead on Tuchel’s Bayern in what could be a storyline finish to the 2022/23 Bundesliga season.
Quite interestingly, Dortmund’s potentially historic 2022/23 Bundesliga season has not been a one-man show in terms of goal scoring. The West German outfit have moved on from their Haaland-centric offense and looked to score from a variety of avenues. Crafty midfielder Julian Brandt is the side’s top Bundesliga scorer with 8 goals so far this campaign. BVB have 6 players with 5+ goals in the league and only Bayern Munich have more 5+ goal-scorers, indicating Dortmund’s varied paths to a goal.
Recently though, 24-year-old Dutchman Donyell Malen has been flying. The striker is on his career best form for Dortmund, with 6 goals and 2 assists in his last five league games.
Another individual in career best form is Portuguese full-back, Raphael Guerreiro. The serviceable defender, who has been at Dortmund since July 2016, has provided 12 assists in the Bundesliga this season. Along with leading Germany’s top flight in assists provided, Guerreiro has a total of 15 goal contributions in 23 games this season. If he continues to lead the league in assists, Guerreiro will be the first BVB player to lead the league in this stat since 2019 when Jadon Sancho provided 14 Bundesliga assists.
Despite being largely unsuccessful in cup competitions this season, Dortmund’s Bundesliga season is one to remember. In 2023, BVB have only lost once with their 4-2 loss to Bayern Munich earlier in April. But, with an average of 2.9 goals per game in their last 9 league games, Terzic’s side enter the last five games of the season on red-hot form.
Borussia Dortmund’s home form has been exceptional this season. The Signal Iduna Park has become a fortress for BVB and that is largely down to their passionate die-hard fans. The ‘Yellow Wall’ has elevated Dortmund’s performances which are emphasized by the side accumulating 37 out of a possible 42 points at home.
Away from home has been more problematic for Dortmund though. With 7 wins out of 15 league games, BVB’s away goal difference is a shocking -2. Whilst their home form places them at the top of the Bundesliga, their away form places them in third. This may be something for Edin Terzic to consider coming into the conclusion of the 2022/23 season.
Without downplaying Dortmund’s impressive Bundesliga campaign, we must discuss Bayern Munich and their below-average 2022/23 season. Following Bayern’s 2-1 loss to 7th-placed Leverkusen, the club decided to fire 35-year-old coach Julian Nagelsmann. Whilst Dortmund did move to the top of the table after that disappointing result, it was a largely baffling decision considering Bayern had only lost one game prior to that since September.
The swift managerial appointment of Thomas Tuchel was optimistic though, as Bayern had brought in a Champions League-winning coach for the first time since Jupp Heynckes in 2017. Nonetheless, Tuchel’s first 7 games in charge have resulted in just 2 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses. In just 23 days as Bayern Munich’s head coach, Tuchel has lost as many games this season as Nagelsmann did in his time as Bayern boss this season.
Not only has Tuchel lost Bayern’s league superiority, but they have also been knocked out of 2 major competitions since his managerial appointment. With a 2-1 loss to Freiburg in the DFB Pokal quarter-final and a 4-1 loss on aggregate to Manchester City in the UCL’s quarter-final, the south German outlet are only competing in the Bundesliga for the remainder of the 2022/23 season. If Dortmund do go on to win this domestic trophy, it will be Bayern’s first season with one trophy since 2015.
The run-in for the rest of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season could leave fans of ‘The Beautiful Game’ with one of the more entertaining seasons in German football history. With their steady margin of 1 point, Dortmund arguably have an easier last five games to play than Bayern Munich. The average table position of Dortmund’s last five opponents is 10th, whereas Bayern Munich’s opponents’ average placement is 12th. A marquee matchup between Bayern and Leipzig on the second to last week of the season could be monumental in the season’s final table.
If Bayern do not win their seemingly routine Bundesliga trophy, their 10-year streak of winning Germany’s top-flight will come to an end. This is the longest active streak for winning a league trophy in all of football’s top 10 leagues.
From Dortmund’s point of view, it will be their first Bundesliga trophy since 2012 and their 4th time lifting the trophy this century. It would also be Dortmund’s first trophy since the 2020/21 edition of the DFB Pokal, where a double from Haaland and Sancho helped them beat Leipzig 4-1 in the final.
Perhaps slightly more significant than their first Bundesliga trophy in 10 years would be the culture shift at Dortmund if they do finish this season at the top. Since Bayern’s unparalleled dominance in German football, BVB have created a flawless reputation for providing an opportunity for young stars. Dortmund’s recent transfer initiatives have been to bring in future superstars, give them the chance to shine and sell them for a large profit. Examples include Ousmane Dembele, Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland and Christian Pulisic.
However, winning the Bundesliga trophy could bring a shift in Dortmund’s mindset. BVB could no longer be the undisputed 2nd best German team that fosters development but become a genuine consistent challenger for the Bundesliga throne. Not only could this help bring in the best of the best, but also help them keep their current flock of superstar talent, such as Jude Bellingham.
According to transfermarkt.com, the English central midfielder is worth approximately 120 million euros. Bellingham has attracted the attention of all of Europe’s biggest clubs, and at the young age of 19 years old is already tipped to be a generational talent. Not only is his potential levels above all European midfielders but his current resume is already stacked with impressive accomplishments.
Bellingham’s all-around brilliance is highlighted through his composure on the ball, ability to be effective on both ends of the pitch and seemingly innate leadership. This season, the Birmingham City academy graduate is Dortmund’s 3rd captain behind Germans Reus and Hummels. Having already captained BVB 4 times this season (twice in the league and twice in the UCL), Bellingham has become Dortmund’s youngest ever captain. Similarly, Bellingham became the third-youngest player to captain a side in the Champions League and the youngest captain ever to score in a UEFA Champions League match at the age of 19 years and 98 days.
Along with his intangible leadership qualities, Bellingham fills up the stat sheet with elite level statistics. Compared to all other midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, Bellingham is in the 99th percentile for successful tackles, 95th percentile for non-penalty goals, 92nd percentile for blocks and 90th percentile for shot-creating actions. He really has it all.
BVB’s wonderkid’s success also extends to international duty, as he already has 24 caps for England. In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Bellingham reinforced himself as a guaranteed starter for Gareth Southgate as he played and started in all of England’s games in the tournament.
With so many impressive performances, the transfer rumors inevitably came. Bellingham’s name has been linked to Europe’s elite clubs for the last 18 months. One of the more interested clubs was Liverpool, who have recently pulled out of the race to acquire the 19 year old’s signature. Publicizing Liverpool’s inferior financial capabilities to that of Real Madrid or Manchester City, Klopp claimed that it is simply not economically possible for Liverpool to compete with these top clubs.
Contracted until the end of the 2024/25 season, Bellingham’s future is completely unknown. With every transfer window will come a myriad of transfer rumors and murmurings surrounding the Englishman’s future. But, if Dortmund manage to convince Bellingham that it is a club willing to financially compete with Europe’s best, then maybe the 19 year old and Dortmund’s other young guns will decide to stay in West Germany.
The remainder of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season is pivotal and crucial for Dortmund and their future in European football. A historic season and lifting of German’s top-flight trophy is on the cards, but Bellingham, Terzic and the whole of BVB must dig deep to end Bayern’s German reign of terror.
[ays_poll id=40]
[ays_poll id=41]
