5 observations from matchday 3 of the Champions League group stages

#2 Borussia Dortmund could be onto something big this season

Borussia Dortmund have a 100% record in Group A

BVB is one of the traditional teams in Germany, and by winning the Champions League in 1996, as well as making the final in 2013, they have established a bit of European pedigree in recent seasons.

However, the utter dominance of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga means that not much is expected of any other club, and for all of Dortmund’s efforts, they would not be expected to finish anything higher than 2nd, with the club acting as fodder for the bigger teams in Europe, as all their best players in recent seasons have moved on to more established clubs, with Bayern Munich being the chief poacher.

They have gravely fallen from the highs under Jurgen Klopp at the start of this decade, and have undergone something of a bit of crisis in recent seasons. Managerial upheavals were experienced, as the club struggled to build any momentum.

Lucien Favre was appointed in the summer of 2018, and the 60-year-old Swiss came highly recommended following his impressive work with Hertha Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany as well as OGC Nice in France.

Dortmund’s players have taken to Favre’s methods like Fish to water, and Die Borussen currently find themselves top of the Bundesliga with 20 points, following an explosive start which has seen them score a massive 27 goals from just eight matches.

Players such as Jadon Sancho, Marco Reus, Raphaël Guerreiro and surprise package of the season Paco Alcacer have begun the season like men on fire, and have also carried their fine form into the Champions League.

They opened up their campaign with 0-1 and 3-0 wins over Club Brugge and AS Monaco respectively, but they saved their best performance for matchday three, as the Germans ran riot against Atletico Madrid at the Signal Iduna Park, trashing the Spanish giants emphatically in a 4-0 victory to condemn Diego Simeone to his worst defeat as Atletico manager.

Dortmund have begun the season impressively despite not being given many chances at the start of the season, and if they can continue with their rich vein of form, there is telling how far they can go in their pursuit of greatness.