How does Thomas Tuchel plan to rebuild Borussia Dortmund?

Thomas Tuchel has arrived. The BVB press centre was brimming on Wednesday morning when Juergen Klopp’s successor took the stage and set off a frenzy of flashing cameras without precedent in recent Dortmund history. Saying all the right words to win over most listeners, the 41-year old had quickly captivated the room. Talking tactics and legs, Tuchel outlined his vision and gave us a first glimpse at how he plans to lead Dortmund back to its old strength.

As commendable as Dortmund’s late race to the 7th spot in the table has been, it is the sad truth that the lost cup final against Wolfsburg has capped off a disillusioning season. The chance to redeem themselves this year has fallen through and the black and yellows have frustratingly lost ground on multiple title contenders in less than twelve months. According to Tuchel, Dortmund ‘are coming from behind and have to work hard to catch up the leeway to the top four’, which in his opinion comprise Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg, Gladbach and Leverkusen. Notwithstanding that, he has been bullish on Dortmund’s prospect, vowing that a club like BVB by nature poses a threat to the other title challengers across all competitions.

So how does Tuchel plan to prop this leaky ship? His opening statements suggest he is determined to go about it from both the inside and outside. That is, there will be new signings from the outside – and with Jonas Hofmann, Moritz Leitner returning from loans and Gonzalo Castro signed from Leverkusen three arrivals are cut and dried – but also a lot of internal changes within the existing squad.With the offensive line shuffled and the goalkeeper spot sorted, the final bridge to cross will be BVB’s holding midfielders.

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While Tuchel admitted he would be ‘keen to meet and assess all of the players in person’, it is doubtful his wish will come true in the case of want-away midfielder Ilkay Guendogan. His departure seems more imminent with every day passing, and it will be down to Tuchel’s judgement if compensation from outside may be necessary. On top of that, long-time skipper Sebastian Kehl has retired, vacating another spot in central midfield. In turn, injury-plagued Nuri Sahin is set to bounce back once again, plus new signing Castro has demonstrated his skills and wits in a similar position.

Much like Juergen Klopp, Tuchel decided to dedicate a lot of his speaking time to team building and spirit issues. According to him, it will be indispensable to create an atmosphere entirely void of self-centredness, which has to be palpable at any time, especially of course on the pitch. Knowingly or not, these statements could be construed as subtle criticism levelled at the team or former coach, which has shown uncharacteristic cracks on occasion.

Thomas Tuchel has a huge amount of work to shoulder over the next months, but he comes across ready, and more importantly poised, to take on the challenge. In fact, Tuchel extended on his vision in a way that perfectly sums up his aspirations for the next campaign, and at the same time serves as a fitting closing statement:

‘To achieve all of our goals, coaching staff and players alike must incorporate and embrace a new mindset; one that is characterised by devotion and commitment, diligence, humility, courage, openness, and tenacity. The last one will be crucial because I want the big four to feel us breathe down their necks at all times’.

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