Don't rule Borussia Dortmund out yet

With the pace of Reus and Aubameyang, Dortmund exposed Bayern’s defensive instability in their 4-2 win in Super Cup

I wrote a few months ago, before the Champions League Final, but after it had been confirmed that Bayern were to sign Dortmund’s home-grown starlet Mario Goetze, that this Dortmund side would sadly fall apart, never to challenge again(at least not for a few years).

Well, a few months on and I feel compelled to change my view. Why? Well, because I feel that Dortmund have acted very shrewdly in the transfer market, signing Henrik Mkhitaryan to replace Goetze and the much sought after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from St Etienne, they’ve also managed to keep Robert Lewandowski out of Bayern’s clutches, for a year at least.

It appears, to me at least then, that Dortmund have a rather potent strike force this season, with the superb Lewandowski being joined by Aubameyang and the increasingly impressive Marco Reus.

Whilst Bayern, on the other hand, have lost Mario Gomez, and have replaced him with two attacking midfielders in Goetze and Thiago. So Bayern now only have Mario Mandzukic and the ageing Claudio Pizarro as recognised strikers.

Of course, Guardiola is certainly not averse to playing with a false nine and it would not be a surprise to see Goetze, Thiago or Thomas Muller operating in that position this season. But is changing such a successful formula really the best idea? I suppose only time will tell.

The noises coming out of Bayern certainly aren’t great (for them at least), with the signing of Thiago causing much consternation amongst the board and fans, accusing Guardiola of favouritism. Pep has also been tampering with formations and players’ positions a lot, playing Mandzukic out on the wings, and Lahm in defensive midfield; there is just the chance it all might blow up in his face.

I mean, look at what happened to Inter Milan the season after they won the treble; they collapsed under a new manager as they tried to change the way they went about things. There is also the danger that there will be a lack of motivation at the Allianz after such a dominant season. After all, how can they possibly better it? Seriously, tell me, how?

Whereas, over at Dortmund, their players will be hungry to regain the Bundesliga they relinquished last season. Their manager, the eminently likeable Jurgen Klopp, will continue to play the same brand of high intensity, highly entertaining, counter attacking football that has served them so well over the past three seasons.

The German Super Cup against Bayern, which Dortmund won 4-2, might be a sign of the season to come. Whereas last year, Bayern were defensively rock solid, and that certainly doesn’t appear to be the case this year.

It looks a lot like Javi Martinez is going to be shifted into central defence, and Luis Gustavo appears to be on his way out, which leaves just Bastian Schweinsteiger in defensive midfield. Guardiola has never prioritised defensive solidity, but that was a key part of what made Bayern so devastatingly effective last season.

Dortmund clearly exposed Bayern’s newfound defensive instability in that Super Cup win, using the pace of Reus and Aubameyang to good effect, and what’s to say that won’t continue all season? If it does, I would suggest that Dortmund have a very good chance of overhauling Bayern as they unravel under Guardiola’s management.

Of course, Bayern could win their first ten games in utterly dominant fashion, leaving Dortmund well off the pace and I’ll be writing a piece in a few months’ time about how losing Goetze was the killer blow that ended the short reign of this fantastically refreshing, exciting side.

I really hope they can reign Bayern in (I claim to have held an interest in Dortmund before they attained their ultra-cool hipster status) not only for the competitiveness of German football (which really doesn’t bother me) but to show that the little guy can still triumph.

If Dortmund beat Bayern this season, it would be a genuinely heart-warming tale as the dominant, uber rich, powerhouse is toppled by the club whose darling player was ruthlessly stolen from them.

Don’t let Bayern s**t on the little guy Dortmund, until they come back in and take Lewandowski off you for free next summer, of course.