Cometh the hour, cometh the men (April 24, 2013)
The stage was set at the Signal Iduna Park. Real Madrid were poised to face a Borussia Dortmund side that had controversially made it to the semi-finals in a thrilling second leg versus Malaga in the quarter-finals.
The scene which was about to unfold could not have been predicted my anyone as Dortmund floored Real Madrid on the night 4-1 courtesy of Robert Lewandowski who scored all the 4 goals; the first footballer to score four in a semi-final leg of Europe's elite competition.
Their win at home was so comprehensive that a 2-0 loss in the subsequent leg at the Bernabeu was not enough for Real Madrid to send the German outfit packing and Dortmund had booked a place for themselves in the Champions League Final at Wembley. London was set for an all-German final. While Dortmund went on to narrowly lose the final to a Bayern Munich team that had demolished Barcelona over two semi-final legs, the Dortmund fan would have still felt a certain amount of joy and satisfaction.
Klopp had elevated the status of Dortmund greatly over the past two years; from a mid-table side to the creme de la creme of Germany alongside Bayern Munich. Dortmund may have won the Bundesliga in the 2010-11 season and the domestic double in the 2011-12 season, yet they had fared poorly in Europe in both of those seasons. A group stage exit in the Europa League had followed a group-stage exit in the Champions League the next season.
Klopp had set out the 2012-13 stating that Dortmund would focus on Europe as well to compensate for their disappointing shows previously and an appearance in the final was certainly the sign of a materialised promise.
Plateauing, plummeting and peak performance (2014-2016)
In the present time, money grants its possessor unprecedented power and many players are inclined to chase currency and the glory that follows it. The rise of any underdog is almost always accompanied by the depressing occurrence of their best players being prized away by bigger fish. The Dortmund faithful are all too familiar with this paradoxical conundrum.
Shinji Kagawa’s move to Manchester United in 2012 was the first instance, yet that did not hurt nearly as much as Mario Gotze’s move to Bayern Munich the subsequent year.
Dortmund did not fare much too poorly without Gotze; they ended up second in the league behind Bayern Munich (their second consecutive second-placed finish) and lost out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League to the eventual champions, Real Madrid. Dortmund were still relevant in Germany and Europe, but they seemed to have plateaued ever so slightly.
The next big star departure really stung them though as attacking talisman Robert Lewandowski left for Munich. The fact that he was a free agent only added salt to the wounds.
Dortmund did not do all that well in the subsequent season without him and had to contend with a disappointing 7th place in the table; mid table finishes being something that they had grown unaccustomed to. The situation looked very bleak as Klopp left the helm and Thomas Tuchel took over as head coach in 2015.
Yet, much to the relief and joy of Dortmund supporters, Tuchel turned out to be quite a revelation and carried forth the attacking philosophy and Dortmund sprung back to life. Their report card at the end of the 2015-16 season looked much better than the one of the previous one. They finished runners-up in the Bundesliga and the Domestic Cup (both to their Bavarian rivals) and a quarter-final defeat to Liverpool in the Europa League by conceding a healthy lead, which did raise a few eyebrows, but the future certainly looked brighter.
Aubameyang had settled in well and had finished 2nd in the Bundesliga scoring charts with 25 goals, second only to Lewandowski, and the trio of Aubameyang, Reus and Mkhitaryan had wreaked considerable havoc. Also, Bayern was undergoing a regime change with Ancelotti set to replace the Manchester City-bound Pep Guardiola. Dortmund were also in the mix again as far as the Champions League was concerned.
An unfragmented Dortmund – A Utopian concept
A twist was waiting right around the corner though as another mass exodus was triggered in the Dortmund ranks and Tuchel had to concede his best men. Mkhitaryan and Gundogan both embarked to Manchester, joining United and City respectively.
The most painful blow had to be the one delivered by captain Mats Hummels, though, who expressed his desire to play for none other than Bayern Munich. The same Mats Hummels who had failed to comprehend Gotze’s move to Munich three years ago was now following his exact footsteps.
On the flipside, Tuchel has made some amazing signings this season and some fantastic players have made their way through the ranks. The likes of Dembele, Pulisic and Mor have been good additions to the squad and have done well considering their age, but Dortmund’s league position is nothing to celebrate. Dortmund’s position in the Bundesliga going into the New Year is a very average 6th, their current position a reflection of their inconsistent performances resulting in too many points dropped and a string of injuries as well.
Sadly, their current position fails to do justice to their very satisfying 1-0 win over their Bavarian rivals, the glory of the result having been subdued by the draws and losses against less formidable opponents. Dortmund’s defence is also not as nearly as resolute as it was with Mats Hummels.
At the start of the season, many stated that Dortmund was a squad of great depth, and armed with their newly signed players, they were a formidable outfit. In spite of a generous amount of points dropped, this musing seems to be validated by the way they have coped even after being plagued by injury and yet one fails to take into account the age and inexperience of their newest signings.
The name of Renato Sanches springs to the mind of many when wonder-kids are discussed. The 19-year old had a great summer with his national outfit and had been already signed by Bayern Munich before that. A quick look at his season thus far shows that he has featured only in 9 Bundesliga matches, 5 of them as substitutes and only in 2 of the 4 starts has he played 90 complete minutes.
This is due to no fault of his own of course; no one expects a teenager to displace the likes of Vidal, Alonso or Thiago at the get-go. This is precisely how youngsters develop in the game at the big clubs, they stand on the shoulder of giants at the onset.
In comparison, Dembele and Pulisic have had much more to do and though they have done well, to expect the likes of teenagers to perform at a level of professional consistency at the highest level is too much to ask.
A spirit that cannot be written off
Perhaps the only convincing testament to Dortmund’s relevance in the biggest stages of them all (apart from their domestic win over a relatively fragile Bayern) is their snatch-and-grab draw versus the formidable Real Madrid in their most recent encounter in the final game of Group F of the Champions League in the Santiago Bernabeu on the 7th of December.
Dortmund were starting the night placed precariously at the top of the group; only 2 points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid side which had to contend with no Gareth Bale but were on a 33 match unbeaten run. Dortmund started as underdogs to win the group and it was almost poetic that they salvaged a point at the very end via a goal from one of their most loyal servants – Marco Reus.
His equaliser in the 88th minute meant that Dortmund would retain their top spot in the group and thus, Los Blancos had to contend with 2nd place. The overcoming of a 2-goal deficit (a Benzema brace) spoke greatly of the Dortmund grit that many have witnessed over the years and in the end, Thomas Tuchel could not have asked his boys for more on the night.
The days that lie ahead for Dortmund and Thomas Tuchel are very uncertain indeed and the onus lies on him to be able to mould the likes of Dembele and the others into the superstars of tomorrow with the aid of Aubameyang and Reus. The biggest challenge remains outside the field; to retain his superstars even when they seek greener pastures.
Aubameyang, 27, could be the next nail in Dortmund’s coffin as he has spoken extremely fondly of Real Madrid in the past and Madrid could swoop in the next season. The Dortmund fans and faithful have to contend with sitting with their fingers crossed for now and hope that their league form picks up in the latter half of the season.
Take this survey to let us know what you think
