Borussia Dortmund's youthful exuberance is taking over Germany and Europe
Lucien Favre has got Dortmund playing a style of football last seen under Jurgen Klopp, with his belief in youngsters vital in their quest to topple Bayern Munich.
Borussia Dortmund have been a breath of fresh air this season in The Bundesliga and The Champions League. Lucien Favre led side have scored 35 goals in Bundesliga, with further 8 goals coming in The Champions League. Dortmund sit top of Bundesliga with a cushion of 7 points and are behind Atletico Madrid by a mere 2 points in their Champions League group. Plaudits for their performances this season have been rightly given to their Swiss coach whose unrelenting belief in youth the cornerstone of this revolution at Signal Iduna Park.
Borussia Dortmund are one of the youngest teams in Europe with average age of 23.5 years, with only Piszczek on the wrong side of 30. Dortmund over the past couple of seasons had fallen behind rivals Bayern Munich, in part due to their shoddy dealings in the transfer market. None of the signings of 16/17 season like Emre Mor, Bartra or Schurrle had any impact whatsoever, with only Raphael Guerrero having stuck around to make contributions of note. But last season signings like Manuel Akanji and Jadon Sancho along with summer signings like Delaney, Witsel and topscorer Alcacer, whose loan was made permanent last week, performing at their peaks, Dortmund have returned to the summit of Bundesliga. The signings are a blend of youth and experience, with Witsel one of the elder statesmen in the dressing room.
Under Lucien Favre's tutelage, his former Monchengladbach protege Marco Reus is also back to his best after a few injury-laden years. Reus was made captain this season and has repaid the Swiss coach's faith in him with 9 goals & 5 assists this season. His telepathic connection with the right winger and former Man City man Jadon Sancho leading to scintillating football from the Ruhr side. English starlet Sancho has been incredible this season, leading the assists chart for Dortmund with 6 assists. Die Borussen have scored an incredible 37 goals in the German league this season, with an incredible 10 of those coming from Spaniard Paco Alcacer, whose impact coming off the bench has been on a different level. On the left side, Jacob Brunn Larsen, Pulisic & Gotze have been in & out of the team, with all enjoying varied success.
The midfield duo of new signing Axel Witsel and Delaney have been unimpregnable this season, with the Belgian's passing a whopping 94%, league's highest. Denmark International Delaney has been the shield protecting the back. His strength lies in him playing the long balls out wide and his aerial prowess. At the back, Zagadou has been phenomenal this season with an average of 5.4 clearances, one of the highest in the league. Alongside him, French International Abdou Diallo has also been immense this season, having started 4 matches in the Bundesliga this season. Fullback of pairing of Real Madrid loanee Hakimi and Polish International Piszczek have been bombing forward with their link-up play in the flanks key to Dortmund's flying start.
A key man in all this is Sporting Director and former skipper Michael Zorc. The German, considered one of the best in the business, has been in an unenviable position of rebuilding every few years. His astute transfer dealings coupled with his unwavering support for youth has seen Dortmund scale new heights this season. Zorc put his faith in unknown youngsters like Sancho, Larsen, etc. and is now reaping the rewards. With Favre at the helm and Zorc supporting him, it's time for Borussia Dortmund and their supremely talented young stars to reclaim their thrones in Germany and Europe.