Borussia Dortmund very narrowly let the Bundesliga title slip from their grasp last campaign, after bossing nearly the entire season.
Their offseason, flooded by transfer moves demonstrated an ambition to put their Bavarian rivals Die Roten in the proper place, behind Die Schwarzgelben. They began that endeavor by easily dispatching of München in the German Super Cup, 2-0.
In the UEFA Champions League, their ambition is no less eager and confident. After drawing what many are referring to as this years “Group of Death”, Captain Marco Reus maintained that not only was Dortmund eager to face Barcelona but that they had wanted to face them all along.
For anyone who has seen either Barcelona or Borussia Dortmund play, nothing about that statement should be taken as hyperbole; Dortmund truly believe they are at an advantage against Barcelona, and they’re correct.
That Borussia Dortmund is stacked with talented youth is in no way an understatement; even a team like Ajax is in awe of the array of skill per position.
With former Barcelona man Paco Alcácer located centrally, finishing and pace are a given for Borussia Dortmund. With Jadon Sancho on the right side of midfield, Marco Reus is free to boss proceedings freely, pushing up the field himself to add pressure as he orchestrates the symphony of passes, touches and strikes. On his left, former Monchengladbach star and summer transfer Thorgan Hazard creates a remarkably intimidating front four on any continent in the world.
With Axel Witsel and Julian Weigel sit behind that four in defense and expedition from the backline when necessary, the offense acts as a mechanism of defense as much as the defense itself. Mats Hummel’s return from Bayern München over the summer gave the backline an added boost of spirit, intellect and composure; his departure may signal his own unspoken conclusions regarding the future of the Bundesliga.
Its not the names at Dortmund that are the issue for Barcelona, just as they aren’t explicitly the issue for München either; both have the names well known to even casual footballing fans. No, the problem is the sheer ferocity of the pace that these names at such young ages can provide.
Think back to Ajax against Real Madrid, or even Juventus; the names on the opposition shirts couldn’t keep up with the youth and pace of the famous Dutch outfit. Had Barcelona drawn them, they’d have faired little better than as opposed to the eventual champion, Liverpool. Dortmund offers all of those issues plus the added caveat that they’ve played together and against tougher domestic competition year in and year out.
With Lionel Messi still struggling to return from injury and early season stumbles like against Osasuna, Barcelona’s problems are bold as brass. Despite names like Ousmane Dembele, Arturo Vidal, Frenkie de Jong, Malcom, Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique, their ability to fluidly operate offensive football is nothing like years gone by.
While names like Dembele and Malcom are extraordinarily talented with blinding pace, they lack discipline the to play in the famous Barcelona style; recent acquisitions have seemed to fade when finally given the chance to play alongside the genius of Messi. That outcome stands directly opposite in relation to what once occurred with Luis Suarez and Neymar, to reference recent history.
If Barcelona don’t watch out they could become victims of Dortmund faster than they’re used to; that submission could lead to further complications. Group F isn’t the group of death for only Barca and Dortmund’s presence, but for Inter as well.
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Should Barca be pushed by Dortmund significantly, the new look Inter of Antonio Conte could be licking their chops to push the Blaugrana out of the commotion all together; it’s not impossible.
Conte has remade Inter since his arrival over the summer, removing player like Ivan Perisic and Mauro Icardi for Manchester United outcasts Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez. Between that firepower and Conte’s defensive genius, Inter will be no easy out for a Barcelona side that couldn’t break a draw with Osasuna in La Liga.
Borussia Dortmund’s youth and talent creates a potential domino effect for Barcelona should they not gain some traction as a team. Gaining some type of confidence or inspiration, a volition outside of Messi is dire at this point; one could foresee Frenkie de Jong as a catalyst from his position in midfield if he is given the room and time to create effetively. Ousmane Dembele too is desperately needed to foment passion and excitement from his wide position.
Without these stimuli Barcelona is lost in only the group stage of Champions League play, a far cry from the eternal expectation in Catalonia. Borussia Dortmund knows what they can do and they know what types of teams can cause them serious issue and which simply cannot; as it is currently formulated, Barcelona absolutely falls in the latter category.