Dortmund are doing an excellent job in the transfer market. But will it be enough to compete with Bayern?

Borussia Dortmund were not satisfied with last season and several changes were made at the club. There was a change of coach, a new sporting director was chosen and there were some interesting transfers. Although the departure of Erling Haaland may be a noticeable loss, the Westphalian side has been doing a great job with their purchases. Can it finally compete with Bayern?

Second place again, they failed to succeed in the cup or in Europe. Last season was a disappointment for Borussia Dortmund despite high expectations. Coach Marco Rose, from whom the club had promised great things, was surprisingly dismissed after the season.

What about. Competing with Bayern is simply not easy, it’s just that the game they showed wasn’t always the prettiest either. Nothing was helped by the frequent absences of Erling Haaland, on whom the game often rested.

However, apart from Rose, Haaland is now also gone, heading to Manchester City. The new coach is Edin Terzic, who has already held the positions of scout, youth coach, interim coach, assistant coach and technical director at Borussia. He knows the club like the back of his hand.

The Westphalian outfit needs to build a quality team with a solid backbone and address long-standing weaknesses and shortcomings that have been overlooked. And that, at least by name, is going well.

Defence sorted?

The defence in particular has been a long-term problem. Not only have Akanji or Zagadou not had steady performances, but they have also been plagued by injuries frequently. Mats Hummels also doesn’t have the most robust health and although he is a quality footballer, the defence cannot stand on him.

Nor will it be needed. In fact, Dortmund have gained two great reinforcements for the defence. Niklas Süle from Bayern came for free. A national player, Champions League winner and one of the key players of the Munich team. An outstanding achievement for Borussia. Then from Freiburg came Nico Schlotterbeck, the highest rated defender of last season across all five leagues according to WhoScored.

The centre of the defence is therefore improved to the maximum. The weaknesses can only be the flanks. Respectively, Meunier will do his part defensively, but he will languish offensively, while Guerreiro has the exact opposite. Anyway, it will all depend on what system Terzić wants to play. But it shouldn’t be hard to find the ideal balance.

The midfield is almost unchanged

Is that good or bad? Bellingham, Can and Witsel were complementary, however, next season Witsel will already be defending the colours of Atlético Madrid. Salih Ozcan, who has been a key player for Cologne, is to replace him in the centre of midfield.

More or less, this is not a step backwards, but not a step forward either. In most games, this midfield will be enough for Dortmund, but it could languish against Bayern. The truth is, however, that Dortmund lose the duels with Bayern in their heads beforehand. This is probably the biggest problem. Just change this setup and the duels can be more interesting.

Attack strengthened to perfection

If there’s one place where Dortmund have no shortage of stars, it’s the attacking ranks. Although Erling Haaland has left, the team has instead been strengthened by Karim Adeyemi and Sebastien Haller. We still have to count on the steady shining of Marco Reus or Thorgan Hazard.

Haaland’s departure may have one advantage. Not that Dortmund couldn’t win without him, but his absence was noticeable. He scored a lot of goals. Now the goal scoring burden will be spread among more players. Plus, the attack will be much more variable. Adeyemi can cover more positions, Haller is better in the midfield than Haaland.

So there is a lot to look forward to. Dortmund are doing a great job. It probably won’t be enough for Bayern yet this season, but several steps have been taken in the right direction. The upcoming season is expected to be a bit more balanced than the last one.

Source: Borussia Dortmund