Leverkusen - BVB a trip to Neverland

This match day's top match is Leverkusen - Dortmund. (Saturday 18:30h cet)

Leverkusen is one of those clubs that shouldn't be in Bundesliga.
It's a little "town" between Cologne and Düsseldorf with 160k inhabitants and the club surely wouldn't
exist without the pharma giant Bayer. It's not the idea of Bundesliga that companies are in charge of a Bundesliga side and as a result they have not many fans, not really a fan culture. Most fans come from foreign countries, because they didn't know better. A big Bundesliga team should have many fans, shouldn't it? I mean, what's the point? It's like Metallica play on a huge festival in front of 5000 ppl. When Leverkusen played Wolfsburg last season SKY couldn't even measure people watching it. Sad. And such a club represents Germany in the Champions League (they never even were champions). Pathetic.

Leverkusen's trophy vitrine

But hey, the funny part is, that Leverkusen just won't win anything. Every time they come near a title they choke and collapse. There is no side that finished second so many times like Leverkusen, which is why they are called Vizekusen (a term, that Leverkusen trademarked, btw) or Nerverkusen.
Probably, because it's a soulless side, without proper support... but that's just a personal theory.

However, this match will be a top match! Leverkusen has many expensive players and a good squad that is very competitive.
With Robin Dutt they gained defensive strength, a feature they usually lack.
After a rather pathetic loss in Mainz they managed to win 1:0 at home against Bremen and also 1:0 in Stuttgart. A quality we usually know from Freiburg. Exactly.

It will be the last and only test against a really competitive side for Dortmund before going into the first Champions League match against Arsenal, no offense Hertha.
So it's a key match, for several reasons! For one, I hate losing against Leverkusen! Also it will be a good test, to see how a game looks like when an opponent is NOT sitting as deep as possible in his own half.
Jürgen Klopp already said that his "matchplan" will be: Standing compact, focus on the defensive duties first. With Robin Dutt on the other side I'd usually predict a very tactical and boring match, but looking at both offensive lines it can't be! Even though it's still uncertain whether Mario Götze plays, there are still names like Schürrle, Augusto, Sidney Sam, Kagawa, Großkreutz, Perisic... Yes, I left out Kießling and Lewandowski, but you all know why. This clash also never produced a 0-0 in the history of Bundesliga!

If Dortmund wants to get anything out of this game, they better get their act together. If they start the game like they did in Hoffenheim or the first half against Nürnberg, we won't have the slightest chance.
I really hope that Shinji Kagawa will find his form! His last good game was in Japan (3-0, two goals) and he still hasn't scored yet. Also I'm pretty sure that Perisic will score his first goal on Saturday! Just a feeling.
Also it will be very interesting, which of the Bender twins will win more tackles. All in all I hope for a pretty exciting match with a sweet win over Vizekusen!

How to beat Leverkusen?

Well, usually I would draw some tactical stuff here, but there is no need.
Easiest recipe: Deny Leverkusen for 50-60 minutes, they'll get nervous and then collapse.
It has worked so many times! Or just wait until Ballack comes on! Haha... I'm joking.. I'm Joking... am I?
Maybe a little tactical annotation: Leverkusen is very vulnerable down the flanks, so it will be key in this match for Dortmund to make runs down the flank (Piszczek, Götze, Großkreutz, Schmelzer) to create width. Also a task for Kuba and Perisic. Werder Bremen showed that it's very easy to spread Leverkusen's attack this way and they often lose the coordination in defense. Creating this lack of orientation is one of Dortmund's specialties when it comes to transmission (Defense -> Offense).

I still love to watch the "5 minutes of Leverkusen" from last season! I even got the video on my mobile and I watch it from time to time when I'm waiting for the bus or so. Dortmund scored 3 goals within 5 minutes! Leverkusen completely collapsed. It's a beauty! Here, watch!

Heja BVB!

So matchday 3 is finally over! We beat Nürnberg in a very scrappy way, but winning those games, too is just what a championship winning team needs. However, there are still a few things, that are bothering me after MD 3, for example that Schalke is still in front of Dortmund in the table! (Effin Mainz)

First half was completely forgettable,
you can have 10 creative players in your team, if they don't move enough to create space, nothing will ever happen. There were several aspects why we didn't create chances in HT:
First of all Gündogan is not able to hold a ball and distribute it well enough to create momentum and space on the pitch. It was clear that we are going to miss Nuri Sahin, but he is not leaving an impression on the pitch at the moment. But to be fair he was closed down very well from Hoffenheim and Nürnberg. It looks like he still needs much more time to feel comfortable and knows where his team mates run. He needs to anticipate the runs of our players which is easier when you played with your side for 2-3 years (in case of Sahin) or are on your 5th match for a team.
Another reason is that Shinji Kagawa is still tired, he lacked freshness, creativity, cheekiness and quick thinking on the pitch, which left our center pretty harmless, but hey, he was injured for such a long time. He will be back. But I'm really disappointed with Lewandowski so far. Not only is he wasting so many good chances (should at least have scored twice!), but also his inability to hold on to the ball is making me want to barf. Something that Barrios is doing so well and Lewandowski is trying, but not doing so well. It's a key in our game for the offensive transmission! Lewandowski gets a long ball, holds it, passes it back, turns around and runs in the box. When Barrios is back Lewandowski will be my first candidate for the bench. Also we got lucky that we didn't concede when Weidenfeller ran out of his goal, just to realize halfway out that he was going to be to late, but managed to get a hand to the lop.

2nd Half brought everything that Dortmund is

Even though we didn't made our best game, we managed to bring on the pitch what we stand for: Hard work. Finally we ran the extra meter, and won more important tackles. We scored the 1:0 by a quick transmission after Nürnberg's corner. Lewandowski's technical error to accept the ball was the key, because Götze came on the ball and he made the difference. He spun around two defenders, had a one-two with Piszczek to go around the third and laid a fine pass back to Lewandowski, who mishit it into the net.
From there on it was easier for us, since Nürnberg, who planned the 2nd half to be a bit more different, gave us more space. It's really astonishing, how Mario Götze steps up and decides games for us! Once again his individual skill led to the 1:0, the most important goal in football.
Positive impacts came from the bench, with the substitution of Lewandowski and Kagawa, who had not their best games. Perisic and Kuba came on. A very interesting tactical tweak by Klopp.
With Kuba on the right, Götze could move to the center, where he is most dangerous and Perisic replaced Lewandowski 1 to 1 in the striking position.
Perisic is more of a goal threat to me than Lewandowski, he is much better when it comes to holding the ball and it seems like he has a better instinct. Though he is pretty unlucky, he hit the woodwork twice now.
So he will definitely score against Leverkusen. FACT! I'm very happy with Perisic and it looks like he was worth every penny. He always came from the bench, but had no trouble at all to find into the game and is creating danger from the first second. More on him later this season.

BVB - Nürnberg, wide awake.

Matchday 3
It's match day and the excitement of the Bundesliga is starting to rise.
Borussia Dortmund take on Nürnberg at home, while there are some other crackers going on in this weekend. This matchday will be an indicator for the next few months (at least I think so).
The first one actually already finished, when Gladbach outclassed Wolfsburg 4-1,
but there is still a classic going on:
 Bayern - Hamburg, sadly it won't be as classic as it usually is, since Hamburg is..hmm how do I say it?... crap, their defensive effort in the last two games was not Bundesliga worthy. Maybe they can defend against Bayern though, since it's one of the easiest tasks at the moment. Once the Bayern attack has been encrypted, the Bayern "system" lacks creativity and surprise.
The next game I'm looking forward to is Stuttgart - Leverkusen! Stuttgart is a side I think will be in the top 5 this season and I see them ahead of Leverkusen at the moment. Both sides definitely got good players, but Stuttgart got the mental edge, which Leverkusen never has... though they won luckily against Bremen last week, I don't think they have enough confidence to beat Stuttgart in their "new" stadium. The atmosphere makes a big difference in Stuttgart's game, I guess and since they finally have a bit of consistency, they might live up to their potential for once. This game will actually be a cracker because I think both teams have enormous firepower, but have their funny moment's when it comes to defending. So if they don't play too careful, I expect a 3-2 or something like that.
Also I hope Mainz can gain another three points this weekend, as they face Schalke, who had a bit of a bad day in Finland. Tuchel is certainly the guy who can snuff out the defensive flaws Schalke has.. just a nice win for Mainz is what Schalke needs to get the bad flow going, with all the distortion with Raul. :-)

Well, to Dortmund now.

The loss in Hoffenheim is well analysed and in the past. One of the big factors of last week's defeat was tiredness, a factor that certainly won't appear today. Götze wasn't scoring against Brazil and Kagawa wasn't in Japan. It's not 100% sure, but it looks like Marcel Schmelzer and Neven Subotic are fully fit again and will start. This means that Dortmund's last season's title winning back four is reunited and Klopp's "Starting XI" is about to shape up. Only Barrios is missing, but since Lewandowski is stepping up (he improved his skill of holding the ball quite good in off season) we will be almost at full strength again. I'm wondering whether Leitner will make his Bundesliga debut, since he is a kid who can bring in the unpredictable chaos. He linked up very well with Götze and Kagawa during the preseason matches and his kind of cheekiness will maybe be the key to an 0:0 after 60 minutes.
Maybe it will be an advantage, that Gündogan might know his old side very good and knows where the gaps and holes are where he has to put the ball to create chances, who knows.
I'm wondering how much focus Dortmund will lay on width this game, it certainly lacked against Hoffenheim, since we attacked too seldom over the wings and it was certainly analysed and will be improved, though it won't be as important as it was against Hoffenheim. Nürnberg is more vulnerable at flat, quick, combining through the middle than high crosses into the area. Also this is a game for Sven Bender, since he will face tough opponent's in midfield and the tackles won't be soft in this one, so keep an eye on him.



We like Nürnberg

If Hoffenheim is our bogey-team, we are certainly Nürnbergs. The last two seasons they were certain 6 points and I don't see a reason why they should be in this, maybe a reason why they only bring 3,5k supporters with them. Last season they brought 6,5k supporters. So the might Westfalenstadion won't be sold out! Boooo!

With Schieber, Gündogan, Ekici, and Wolf they lost a lot of quality, though their activities on the transfer market weren't too bad either. With Feulner they've got a quality Bundesliga player. who certainly has his extra motivation since Klopp hasn't as much use for him at Dortmund as he had in Mainz. His free kicks and long-range shots are always a threat, and he also knows, just as Gündogan, his old team very good, since he used to play against them every day. With Thomas Pekhart they've got a good striker from Belarus, who looked very calm in front of goal and scored their only 2 goals in the campaign so far.
All in all Nürnberg has a very young side with lot's of potential to develop and have a bright future. They have very talented defenders with for example Wollscheid (one of the upcoming gem's in German football.. he might play alongside Mats Hummels in 2014).
I have seen the two Nürnberg games and I have to say that they are very organised, and can make a game look very boring and awful, which is a compliment in this case, though I'm not sure how they will react after they conceded. But a 18 year old will try everything to prevent that: Patrick Rakovsky. Since Nürnberg's captain and goalkeeper Raphael Schäfer is out injured for at least 10 weeks, the young goalkeeper will debut in Bundesliga, and I have the bad feeling that this is just the occasion to have the "game of his life". (as we all know, goalkeepers always gain top marks against Dortmund, since we always aim at them.. ugh) It's not an easy task though, since the experienced Schäfer gave many commands during the game, which now have to come from Rakovsky, who will hopefully be too impressed by the Yellow Wall.
I think this game can be close, but Nürnberg is certainly good for one or two individual and tactical errors, which we have to punish. We also should make sure we score two goals, since Feulner will certainly try to squeeze one in.

Heja BVB!

Why Dortmund can't beat Hoffenheim

Groundhog day

Matchday 2 is over. Bayern lucked their way to three points, my friends from Herne-West won 5-1 against Köln, who collapsed after they conceded a controversial penalty. Leverkusen scored their winner AFTER Michael Ballack got subbed off and Mainz, who were too crappy to beat Gaz Metan Medais, lead the table.
Typical Bundesliga stuff.

And of course we lost in Hoffenheim. Again.
It was not our best match, but there are several reasons why we lost.
First of all we overslept the first 10 minutes. Hoffenheim were pressing brave and high, we lost too many tackles in the midfield and in our own half which lead to nervy losses of possession. Too often we tried to pass the ball over 2,3 meters and we ended up losing the ball because Hoffenheim players were quick enough to interfere. A situation like that was the reason why we conceded a freekick, which Salihovic converted in a perfect way.
Of course, it was lucky, but not undeserved at that point and it was already our kiss of death.
Hoffenheim's tactic from now on was: Hold the 1-0, destroy the game and wait for counter attacks.
And I guess, there is not a better team in the Bundesliga when it comes to destroying a game. They know how to defend! They work very hard, are always in a good position and near their opponents. And if their opponent has a little advantage they just foul. Nothing serious, just a little push or a little shove that gets the opponent out of his rhythm and so they gain possession, or concede a free kick but usually don't concede a Yellow even though it was a tactical foul.
Also many of our players were tired from the international break so there wasn't as much movement on the pitch as it usually is, which forced our defenders to operate with long balls, not a good idea to search for Shinji Kagawa who is covered by one of Hoffenheim's tall guys.
Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa were too tired and they shouldn't have started in the first place. They completely lacked freshness, which lead to many sloppy first touches and mistimed passes.

Jürgen Klopp has a lot of work to do. He has to teach the kids to use the wings more when the middle is too dense.  BVB often tries to carry the ball into the goal with little one-two's and flicks through the middle, which won't work so well in every game as it worked against Hamburg.

We really didn't manage to creat many chances this game, and those we had were executed poorly. Starke was never really forced to make a superb save. Kevin Großkreutz with the best chance in the game, but he made the wrong decision when he aimed for the near post. Of course we were a bit unlucky when Kagawa was fouled in the box, but I can't blame the ref, because it wasn't easy to see and Vorsah touched the ball (after he "touched" Kagawa's legS). Another good example why we should have referees based at the goal-line.

Positive impacts

Yes, there was not much positive for us to draw out of this game, but there is one: Ivan Perisic.
He came on in the 56. minute and had many good actions over the left side and was very unlucky when his header only hit the woodwork. But it showed that Perisic can be a very important player for Dortmund this season.

Also, it may sound stupid, but having a bad game like that early in the season is always helpful, as long as the team got a healthy amount of confidence. There are many things Dortmund can and will learn from. Learning from mistakes was and is one of Dortmund's greatest strengths under Klopp. We always came back after defeats, so watch out Nürnberg!

Hoppenheim - Dortmund

A trip to the village

After a exciting first matchday and an international break Bundesliga goes into round 2.
Dortmund will travel to Sinnsheim, a little town, nay village, which is too small to be Bundesliga-worthy.
However, a certain Ditmar Hopp has pumped enough money to generate an artificial Bundesliga club in the middle of nowhere. But before I reach too far we better get to the sport. ;)

Dortmund's first match was very impressive and the 3 points were never really in danger.
If you think it'll be as easy against Hoffenheim as it was agaianst Hamburg, think again!

Line-Ups

Dortmund has a few question marks, because some players picked up some knocks.
Götze, Hummels and Kuba picked up knocks, but Götze and Hummels said on Wednesday that it would only be "minor". Also Jürgen Klopp said that it's not 100% sure whether Shinji Kagawa can play, who had a brilliant game against South Korea (as you can read here), he is maybe too tired because of the jet-lag.
Also Marcel Schmelzer is still not 100% fit and Neven Subotic and Lucas Barrios are definitely out.
So our team could more or less look like that:

But Probably it'll look more like that, anyway.

Hoppenheim

Hoppenheim is a team that can't dictate a game (which was easy to see vs Hanover and Windeck). They are a defensive minded, counter-attacking side.
They usually don't make many tactical errors, which is why Dortmund has to bring their passing to a very precise level. The village-team is playing in a 4-2-3-1 but tends to defend in a 4-3-3.
They have many strong, physical players, who play very rough. So I hope none of our players gets injured from one of the many fouls today.
They are good in the backwards-transmission, but lack a bit of consequence on the way to the goal. It takes too long until they have enough bodies to play a quick counter, so they are pretty harmless, even though they shouldn't be.
With Tom Starke they've got an excellent goalkeeper and I have a bad feeling that he will score big points in every fantasy game today.

Dortmund had problems to beat Hoppenheim in the past because of their destructive game, but I guess, that's the past.
Though the TSG was the only club we couldn't beat last season (which is of course the fault of Mr. Stark, the "referee"), and the only goal we managed to score was a beautiful free kick.
Sadly, I don't have any more time to write but you may enjoy the goal again. + Netradio.

BVB - HSV- Let the games begin!

 Friday, 05.08.2011 20:30 (cet)
Dortmund should win this with ease.


Finally. I can't wait any longer! Bundesliga starts for us with a cracking home match. Dortmund - HSV, always a prestigious match. After the opening ceremony with flag-waving and confetti involved, the Südtribüne will finally come to live again and hammer their chants towards the pitch. Jürgen Klopp will troll around at the sideline and Götze and Kagawa are ready to entertain! Yes, Bundesliga, we missed you! And we are gald that your are back!

Preseason has shown that Dortmund is in a really good shape, meanwhile many other Bundesliga teams are still struggling. Still not everything is perfect yet, Barrios is injured for at least 6 weeks, Schmelzer will miss at least the first game and also Bender missed a lot of the preparation. Luckily we can replace Marcel Schmelzer
with Chris Löwe, who really managed to impress everyone (Jürgen Klopp & co. including) in test matches. His teammates were often looking for him on the left side and not afraid to give him the ball. He had good games at the Supercup and the DfBCup. Löwe will need a bit more support in defense, which Kevin Großkreutz can provide, but his runs forward and his
crosses are pretty great. Chris Also has a great shot, would be funny if he managed to score his first Bundesliga goal, since Marcel Schmelzer is still waiting for his.
Also there is still no decision whether Bender or Kehl will start in Hamburg, but either way I'm not unhappy.


This is the first match under competitive Bundesliga conditions and now it really counts. I hope we don't waste too many chances and get a good first match, with a dominant win to gain a flow that takes us through the season.
If we lose 2-0 only to comeback and win the last 16 matches of the hinrunde, I'm okay with that.

Probable line up against HSV:

I'm really looking forward to Ivan Perisic's debut, who will probably come on for Kevin Großkreutz after 65 minutes. Perisic managed to impress me during preseason with his physical appearance. Perisic is a bigger goal threat than Kevin Großkreutz and will probably score some deciding goals coming on as a joker.


HSV fans only smile when they discover themselves on the video wall


Usually this is the point where I point out the strengths of a team, but I've watched all recent HSV matches and I found none. Of course, they've got lots of individual skill, especially in their offense.
But Hamburg has to worry about their defense at the moment. Westermann is captian, good joke, I know!
Mancienne showed that he is a good kid, but he needs guidance. Something Westermann can't provide since he is too busy with himself, standing too far away from opponents.

But it's not only the defensive line that leaves wide gaps, it's also the gap between the back four and the two defensive midfielders. It was very easy to spot that HSV lack structure in their defensive and composure in their offensive attempts. If it wasn't enough they seem to lack team spirit and often look quite demotivated on the pitch. In one sentence: Hamburg looks pathetic. But maybe 80k ppl will bring their winner-side out, who knows?
Before you say anything, yes Hamburg are in times of renewal and of course they won't be at their best. But Hamburg has a exciting team and there can grow something, but that needs time. The Game is on Friday. :)

So how will Hamburg play?
Probable line up:

I guess, as Hamburg did it in the Liga Total! Cup,
they will try to park the bus in Dortmund.
Actually they don't have much of a choice, if they try to play as they did vs Valencia they won't have much of a chance.
Oenning will bring Töre on Friday, he was the only one who managed to vitalize a poor Hamburger side.
I'm really sure though that Son will have a great season and score many goals and maybe provide assists, since he is now in the play making role, he has a great first touch and good finishing qualities, but I'm not so sure about his distribution skills. We'll see about that. Also Guerrero will come back with an impact on their Hamburg after a great Copa America, but luckily that won't be the case on Friday :)











Pep talk

I discovered that Hamburg is really vulnerable when their opponents are using the Zorro-tactic.
Which is excellent news, since Dortmund is training that very often and have scored many goals that way last season. Also against Hamburg last season.

The Zorro-Tactic is pretty easy. A winger or wing-back makes an over-lapping run to the base-line (Piszczek, Löwe) and lays the ball back (flat) for the upcoming  offensive midfielders like Götze or Kagawa. Lewandowski's job is to pull the defenders even more upfront to open the gap in the box. This usually allows a free shot on goal, it's often played fast and surprises the opponent's defense. Since Hamburg's defensive midfielders are often too far away from their defense, they'll probably react to slow and Kagawa or Götze will have all the time in the world to pic their spot.

Valencia tried that tactic 4-5 times and they created a good chance every single time.















You can check out here, how that looks like in reality:

Season starts, Dortmund is ready.

I'll take a quick look on the foundations we need for a very challenging season. So here we go.

Spirit

The cup has shown, that my loved Borussia has what it takes after a title winning season.

Mental edge. In a post-match-interview Sebastian Kehl was asked "This looked pretty easy!?" 

His answer was a statement of our philosophy. "No, it was hard work."

Laying foundations for a season does not only mean getting in a good physical shape (which, of course, we achieved),

but also gaining mental fitness. The will to win is always game deciding in sport! The more you got, the better.

Dortmund has it.

Soft skills become more and more important in modern football, the quality of football clubs in Bundesliga becomes more and more balanced and chemistry on and off the pitch can often makes the difference.

But what means "will to win?"

First, every individual player needs it until you can say "This team has the spirit to win!".

It means to go over your limits, when it's needed to be. Keep your focus up over 90 minutes on high a heartbeat/minute level. It means that you want o make the extra (probably useless) run, to create space, attack.

It means you can only play for Dortmund if you are greedy until the final whistle has blown and you are always ready to go beyond your limits week after week.

It is an open secret that Dortmund's team spirit plays a huge part in their success. Klopp said "It's more important to have a harmonizing and functioning team with weaker players than having a team full of better, but disharmonious players." Also a reason why Man City is crap. A real team with harmony and friendship is something you can't buy. You have to choose your characters wisely and hope it grows. A process that hapenned/happens in Dortmund and creates identification and joy, also better working conditions for players and staff.

But BVB has also a temporal advantage: Confidence.

It's a result of our success and will carry us through the next months (at least). 

You can only play your best football if you know, that you can play your best football and don't start to 'think'. Everyone knows that.

That doesn't mean that we underestimate our opponents or take any game easy, if you were hoping for that.

Vollgasfußball

Jürgen Klopp's philosophy is "Vollgasfußball" (full-throttle football).

It's focused on the play without the ball and the transmission when gaining the ball and again the transmission when losing the ball - and everything as quick as possible. In other words it means you are always running.

Step 1.

When the Opponent has the ball, you chase him and press him like there's no tomorrow. (running)

Step 2. 

You finally gain the ball. Now it's your job to run forward to outnumber your opponent.

Step 3. 

You created a great counter attack with a marvelous combination and found an even more awesome way to waste your glorious chance.

Step 4. 

The opponent has possession now, it's your job now to think defensively. Bring bodies behind the Ball ASAP,

get your defensive structure in tact and start over with step 1. 

So where is the pause? ... Exactly. (That's why fitness and greed are so important)

A little video that captures all that pretty good.

Get ready for Plan B

That is usually how Dortmund played and scored goals last season, but this season might be a whole lot different, since opponents will try "to park the bus". I expect many teams to play with two deep-lying defensive lines that will focus on destroying our combinations and place (as we call it in German) "needle stitches".

Good thing we have Kagawa and Götze, who can split up defenses with their individual skill and

Wing-backs that overlap and go forward to the base line to create width.

Bad thing Dortmund had some problems with very defensive minded opponents, as losses in Hoffemheim and Gladbach prove, so I hope Klopp has worked on that during preseason.

A system called 'variety'

Dortmund will face a season with international football, so depth and rotation

will be key elements of this season (unlike last's, where Klopp tried to rotate a minimum possible [never change a winning team]).

A player who wants to play for Dortmund has to fulfill different criteria, flexibility is one of them. And a very important one.

Gündogan for example was signed for the defensive midfield-role, but can also play in offensive midfield,

same counts for Moritz Leitner, and Ivan Perisic can also play on the left side, right side + defensive mid.

Kagawa and Götze both can play on every position in the offensive midfield (they will probably often switch postions during a match), Götze also can play in the creative-minded def-midfielder role.

Kevin Großkreuzt (my personal favorite in this) can play as a right/left-winger but also can play as a right or left back (and pretty good at that. Awesome, right?

Oh, I forgot to mention Julian Koch (injured for at least the first half of the season) who can play literarily everywhere.

So there is a lot of competition going on within the squad, something that Klopp wanted, so nobody will take a little "we are champions-break". (Something that is very important as we have learned from Bayern last season).

The system is not based on individual players, but every player knows his role/roles in the system and the ones of the others. This is a huge quality which allows Dortmund to rotate players without changing the System. Will be even more important when "Key-players" are injured.

A phenomena that was great to observe during friendlies. Klopp just exchanged 7 or more players but the quality didn't dip recognizably. (Liga Total Cup 2nd Half = perfect example)

Kuba, Zidan, Leitner, Perisic, Lewandowski, Kehl, Da Silva etc. will probably all enjoy a lot of playing time this season, even though they might not be in the standard starting XI.

Verdict

I'm pretty confident that Dortmund has it what it takes to go into the next season, and fulfills all the above mentioned points. I can't wait to watch the boys battling through the season with breath-taking, pacy, skillful football.