Borussia Dortmund may have hit the reset button this summer, but they made it clear they are still here to compete for silverware.
After what could be described as their worst campaign in recent memory—finishing fourth with only 55 points—Dortmund now head to the 2018/19 season in the Bundesliga with renewed optimism and confidence under new manager Lucien Favre.
BVB retooled well this summer too, and while it may take time before they can familiarise themselves with the new faces, there’s no doubt they have what it takes to return to contention for the top three or two spots.
Key Strengths
Favre’s appointment as Dortmund manager couldn’t be more perfect. His emphasis on using more attacking football fits well with the team’s philosophy, raising hopes that he can replicate or even surpass what the team has achieved during the reign of Jurgen Klopp.
The Swiss tactician is yet to win a trophy in the German top flight despite his stints with Hertha Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach; however, he has often exceeded expectations and is undoubtedly capable of bringing out the best in any team he handles.
In fact, he led both Berlin and Gladbach to European competitions, with the latter making it to the Champions League for the first time after finishing third in the 2014/15 season.
Luckily for Favre, he has all the tools he needs to deliver the best Bundesliga 2018 results at Signal Iduna Park. Youngsters such as Sancho and Christian Pulisic are both on the rise and could be in for a breakout year under their 60-year-old manager.
Attack remains a concern, particularly now that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Michy Batshuayi are no longer with them. However, while they lack a central striker, it can’t be denied they are still oozing with offensive quality with the likes of Marco Reus, Mario Gotze and Maximilian Philipp.
For what it’s worth, Reus produced one of his best years when he played for Favre with Gladbach back in the 2011/12 season. The now 29-year-old forward scored 18 goals in 32 appearances for the Foals back then to help the team finish fourth.
Major Weaknesses and Concerns
The Dortmund backline needs massive improvement. Under Peter Bosz and Peter Stoger last season, the team conceded a total of 47 goals in 34 matches.
To give you a clear picture of how awful that is, 16th-placed Wolfsburg allowed 48 goals while the likes of Werder Bremen, Hertha Berlin, Eintracht Frankfurt, VfB Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen conceded fewer goals each.
It’s bound to improve this season under Favre who still employs a sensible defensive approach despite his attacking football philosophy. However, with new signings Abdou Diallo and Manuel Akanji forming part of the central defence, there will surely be growing pains and communication problems—as seen in the pre-season.
Furthermore, Favre isn’t happy with his midfield and even said they need to “improve tactically” if they want to mount a sustained challenge in the domestic and European competitions.
“When we lose the ball, we have a problem,” Favre said via Bundesliga.com. “Sometimes we have to play more simply instead of taking risks.”
Key Players to Watch
Reus and Philipp will likely handle the goal-scoring duties, and it will be interesting to watch how they will perform. As mentioned, Reus had one of his best years under Favre, so he will be hoping to reproduce that success this time around.
Meanwhile, Philipp had a spectacular year with Dortmund and even managed to tally nine goals and an assist despite playing in only 20 games (no thanks to injuries). The 24-year-old German will be crucial for Dortmund, though he needs to remain healthy.
Axel Witsel is another player to watch out as he could be the midfield sparkplug that Dortmund oh so crave. The 29-year-old should pair up well with Shinji Kagawa—one of the standout Bundesliga performers in the World Cup—to form a potentially dangerous midfield partnership.
Fearless Forecast
SBOBET football odds have Dortmund as runners-up in Bundesliga 2018 betting. Bayern Munich are well poised to dominate again, leaving BVB chasing the tail of the German champions once again.
If everything goes well and according to plan, Dortmund are capable of challenging the top dogs for the league title. Nonetheless, there will certainly be problems and challenges, and it’s blind optimism not to expect any issue especially after their summer reboot.
With that said, I predict them improving from their standing last year, but not to the level that they can threaten Bayern for the title. A second-place finish is possible, but I have them fighting it out with Schalke, Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig until the final weeks.
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