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LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 25: Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich line up prior to the UEFA Champions League final match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Muenchen at Wembley Stadium on May 25, 2013 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)
The star of German football has been on constant rise in the past few years. And when the two teams who have been leading its way to resurrection meet each other for a match up, its time to stop all work and take notice, irrespective of your allegiances.
This Saturday, when Borussia Dortmund play Bayern Munich at Signal Iduna Park, there will be more than 2 million* people watching keenly. And that itself is the testament to how far they have come from being in the shadows of the English Premier League. Both clubs have grown in stature, and being the finalists of the Champions League finals, which Bayern won, virtually makes every clash of these two a rematch of the final in Wembley.
Expectations are high, from both the clubs themselves, and fans in general. Bayern Munich sit comfortably at the top of the Bundesliga table, having reconstructed their style of play to be more clinical under the keen eye of the charismatic Pep Guardiola, having prized Mario Goetze away from Dortmund in the summer, improving their already strong squad. They are unbeaten in the league, having so far collected 32 points and are on a 4 match winning streak. However, Pep refuses to rest on his laurels, constantly innovating and improvising tactically, trying to get some of the best players in the world to put in their 100% every game.
Even when we win, there are things to improve.
“Even when we win, there are things to improve”, he declared after their win against Victorial Plezn recently. Sound thinking, especially when the opponents are of the caliber of Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund. Like Guardiola, Klopp is a charismatic personality, passionate and hard headed about his tactics and the potential of his teams. His project at Dortmund has come to bear fruits which no one expected just half a decade ago, and has been hailed as the “most exciting project in football” by himself.
Klopp prides himself in the work ethic of his team. Dortmund cover more ground than any other team in Europe, playing a high pressing game, never giving the opponent enough time to settle on the ball, a technique they displayed almost flawlessly against Arsenal in the Champions League recently. Their hard running, pressing, combined with the technical capability of players like Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan makes them a tough nut to crack. Mkhitaryan, the summer recruit, has especially blossomed at Signal Iduna Park, scoring three goals, his instinct to run at defences and ability to shoot from distances making him an instant crowd favourite. He will be a big threat for Bayern’s defence, which has been generally insurmountable so far in the season, even on their off days.
Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski, meanwhile, have combined for a total of 16 goals in 12 appearances in the Bundesliga and have been working well together, with Reus operating from the flanks. Them, and Mkhitaryan hunt in packs, attacking with pace and intensity as soon as they receive the ball. With Nuri Sahin, with his refound form, pulling the strings in the middle of the park, Dortmund are used to keeping most of the ball. But against Bayern, who keep an average possession of 62% in the league, they might have to play on the counter.
Bayern will be looking to disrupt the host’s passing game and instead keep the ball to themselves, which they are quite good at. Bayern under Pep have maintained an 88% passing rate, which is the best of Europe’s top leagues. Pep Guardiola has taken a team already strong at creating chances and transformed them into a more clinical attacking threat, with David Alaba proving to be a constant threat from the left wing. His thrusting runs down the flank would need to be checked to stop his combination with Fifa Balon d’Or nominee Franck Ribery.
One thing Bayern miss is a striking option to match its abilities elsewhere on the pitch, and have been trying to woo away Robert Lewandowski from Dortmund to fill that last void. However, today he plays in the yellow jersey and will have a lot of eyes on him to see if he can live up to his billing as one of Europe’s best strikers against a defence which has only conceded 7 goals in the entire season.
Dortmund are coming off a 2-1 defeat to Wolfsburg, which tarnished their season record, and will be looking to make up for it with a win against their title rivals. They are 4 points off the top and can potentially close the gap to just 1 point, in a match which is, by all practical purposes, a proverbial “6 pointer”.
Irrespective of the result, however, the match will be a showcase of effective football, applied by two teams at the top of their abilities. A showcase of the might of German football, and a treat for the neutral.
