Football is a fast-paced business. Everyone knows that phrase, every club and every fan will be able to point out instances where that particular saying held true (for the good or bad).
After another triumphant home display against FC Augsburg, the Borussia Dortmund faithful are currently experiencing another major case of that trope first hand. They have reclaimed the title of Germany’s second powerhouse in under 10 rounds of the 2015-16 season.
Casting our minds just over two-years back, the German league in essence resembled a Munich and Dortmund duopoly – shots were fired both on and off the field, domestic titles switched back and forth between red-white and black and yellow. Reputable media outlets across the country debated which of the two had the upper hand – and not too few argued in favour of new kids on the block Borussia.
It was then, when Dortmund boss Joachim Watzke proudly spoke of moulding and cementing the brand as the second powerhouse in Germany. Not just for the time being but for good. No one dared to counter, if anything it seemed like common sense, considering the host of titles claimed and finals attended from 2010 through to 2013.
Alas, 2014-15 came and everything that had been built-up painstakingly toppled in the blink of an eye. As a result of the Westfalen winding up at the bottom of the table, everything and everyone was questioned. The complete demotion entailed new Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp taking his hat and a reasonable purge of player material. At the same time the media decided to label VfL Wolfsburg as Bayern’s newest rivals and – rightly so -rated the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Moenchengladbach, FC Schalke 04 as many steps ahead of BVB after their dismal year.
Back to the present, where Thomas Tuchel repeatedly preached patience with his side ahead of the new season. They looked like the underdog, a top four challenger if everything fortuitously falls into place. At the risk of jinxing it, what a bluff that turned out to be. After pulling-off a record smashing start and leading the league table for five matchdays, it is safe to say that against Augsburg they finally picked up where they had left off before succumbing to Bayern Munich.
Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is firing from all cylinders, netting his second hat-trick this week against Augsburg. The team practices a style of football that is not only aesthetically more satisfying for the viewer, but also the least predictable football for opponents in years. After seeing off Mainz and now the Fuggerstädter, it is smiles wherever you look around the Westfalenstadion and recognition whoever you talk to among rivalling Bundesliga sides. Dortmund sit comfortably in the second spot, leading Schalke by four points and for various reasons, it is very conceivable that the buffer will only grow with time (after all, BVB face-off against Schalke in two-weeks).
One of this season’s new arrivals was able to shine on Wednesday night as the team welcomed SC Paderborn in the second DFB Cup knockout round, taking aback some pundits with the confident decision to rest star players like Aubameyang or Marco Reus. Instead, Gonzalo Castro stepped-in with an impeccable performance and so did second striker Adrian Ramos, the scoreboard reading 7-1 after 90 minutes. To have this rich depth in terms of quality at your disposal must be reassuring for Tuchel and the players. Preparations now turn to the Werder Bremen encounter this weekend, where Dortmund are guaranteed to give their all in order to keep the positive momentum going and secure a third consecutive Bundesliga win. That little bit of extra motivation, obviously paired with the skills, could equip the black and yellow with the mindset needed to prevail in Bremen.
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So who or what – besides injuries – is going to thwart Dortmund’s resurgence? Wolfsburg still appear to be licking their wounds from the Kevin De Bruyne loss, Gladbach are essentially reliving BVB’s fate from last year, Schalke give off a confident vibe, but traditionally take the foot off the pedal the longer the season goes. Leverkusen could shape up to be the team closest to Tuchel’s – that is provided key player Hakan Calhanoglu does decide to stick around among Premier League rumours brewing up.
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Call the theory a stretch or pipe dream – neither Bremen next weekend nor Schalke should be underestimated in any case – but one cannot argue the fact that last season’s utter failure has been wiped out from the public’s collective memory in the incredibly short space of 10 Bundesliga matches (some might even say five). Who to commend most (Tuchel? The players?) for the speedy return to the status of being Germany’s second biggest club is a delicate question, but at the end of the day just as futile. It does not fundamentally matter what tweaks magically turned the ship around, but what matters is that BVB look poised to stun the league once again and make amends for a botched 2014-15 season.
It looks as though Bundesliga means Bayern vs Dortmund again and right now, that is a lot more than the black and yellows could have hoped for.
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