That week in April which got Borussia Dortmund my sympathy

Jurgen Klopp

There was something extremely weird but at the same time, enlightening about the past week for me. The news that shocked the world was one involving Mario Gotze’s move from Borussia Dortmund to rivals Bayern Munich. Then, just a day later, the Bavarians spanked Barcelona 4-0 in what was probably the Catalans’ and Messi’s worst performance in years.

Having seen Barcelona time and time again do the same to opponents for the last few years (it even became boring at times), watching them getting beaten in that manner was almost scary. It was almost like a wrestling match where the favourite was beaten badly by his opponent who was on steroids, shocking the world.

Naturally, people were talking about the end of an era.

I looked at this Bayern side and then remembered that not only Gotze – arguably one of the best talents in Europe right now – will be joining this team but Pep Guardiola too. And then came the news (mostly rumours) that Robert Lewandowski will also be joining.

I’ve been a Bayern admirer ever since I saw them dismantle my team, Arsenal back in 2005 and was almost as sad as any other regular Bayern supporter when they lost to Chelsea last season.

And being pro-Bayern, I never really liked Dortmund. To explain myself more clearly, I liked their style of play, manager, their fans, the atmosphere of their stadium and a few players, but I’d always want Bayern to trump them. After their recent rise, everyone suddenly became a Dortmund fan and they were seen as the best thing since sliced bread.

I was obviously happy too when Arsenal didn’t lose – as expected by everyone – to Dortmund last season.

But all of a sudden, things changed.

With the Gotze and Lewandowski news, I saw the highlights of Dortmund’s massive 4-1 win over Real Madrid – I expected both to get booed, particularly Gotze, but the Dortmund fans didn’t resort to it (at least not the majority as opposed to what I’d expect Robin van Persie to get this weekend from Arsenal fans.)

Then I saw Lewandowski’s 4 goals – celebrating with his teammates while his manager and fans go crazy. Gotze was celebrating too though he wasn’t too expressive for any of the 4 goals. And that’s when I felt sorry for Dortmund.

They have won back-to-back league titles, are the reigning German Cup champions, are one step closer to the Champions League final, play one of the most exciting brands of attacking football, boast one of the most admired football educations, have one of the best managers in the world, and yet, are losing players every summer.

Being an Arsenal fan, I know how it feels to lose players but the thing is, we’ve struggled to win trophies. Dortmund haven’t in the last 2-3 years. Lewandowski and Gotze are really young and I’m sure they’re paid well, so I doubt they’re leaving for money as everyone else is assuming.

Why would they want to leave then? When Dortmund were celebrating against Real Madrid, I got the sense that if I was a Dortmund player at that particular moment, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

Is Pep’s lure really that big? Or is it a problem with Klopp? Surely not, as we hear stories about how close the players are to him, with one example being Shinji Kagawa crying in Klopp’s arms before his move to Manchester United.

Big blows.

It’s hard losing your best young player. It’s a huge task losing your best young player and your best striker in the same summer. I am still perplexed about Dortmund’s position even as I write this – which young player playing week in, week out at a league and Champions League contending club would want to leave to a club with just the slightest of better chances (barring the league this season, of course)?

Dortmund have the money to reinvest and you can bet your top dollar that Klopp will get replacements just as he did for Nuri Sahin and Kagawa, but continuity is a major aspect in the success of any club. What if others leave next summer? It can’t go on like this.

Even with replacements, there’ll be a huge difference between the Dortmund of this season and the potential Dortmund of next season. And while Klopp’s side is weakened, Guardiola’s Bayern are only getting stronger – possibly making the Bundesliga more one-sided than it already is, as of this season.

Those Dortmund fans who didn’t boo Lewandowski and Gotze, I can only admire them and their understanding even though the duo’s decisions are very questionable, with a feeling of betrayal present in this case.

Those fans, the club and Klopp have my sympathy – it’s one thing losing players because you aren’t winning – it’s another when you are and still lose players. I certainly never experienced that as an Arsenal fan nearly 10 years ago when the Gunners were winning trophies.

As for Bayern, they have a godly team right now and for next season as well – but despite being an admirer of Die Roten, I now want them out. I’d like Barcelona to come back and beat this well oiled machine of a team. And then I’d like for Dortmund to win the Champions League.

I’m not ready for a new era being dominated by a German powerhouse such as Bayern yet. If Dortmund win the whole thing, I still think many would consider Barcelona the best team in the world while Dortmund would not only have the grandest prize of them all but a whole lot of money, helping them spend and attract even better players this summer.

Don’t call me a glory hunter, because I support Arsenal and always will. But my admiration for Bayern has taken a twist this week because I feel bad for Dortmund.

Football, bloody hell.