BVB were nine points behind Bayern Munich before the Bundesliga winter break, but have closed the gap after a scintillating run of results…
"Finally, Dortmund shows the right mentality week in, week out. They have players who work hard, fight and leave their soul on the pitch."
Germany legend Lothar Matthaus' words to in February highlighted an incontrovertible fact: Borussia Dortmund are well and truly back.
After several years of mediocrity in the post-Jurgen Klopp era, a consistent streak has finally been rediscovered under Edin Terzic, who is now overseeing an assault on three different trophy fronts.
After recording nine wins at the start of 2023 in the Bundesliga, Dortmund are sitting joint-top alongside holders Bayern. They've scored 24 goals during that sequence while only shipping eight at the other end – both leading statistics in the division.
They are also the only team in Europe to have won all of their competitive matches since the turn of the year, having seen off Bochum in the DFB-Pokal and beaten Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie.
Something special is brewing at Signal Iduna Park and GOAL is here to examine the key reasons behind their remarkable resurgence…
Getty ImagesBrilliant Bellingham
The man leading Dortmund's charge this season is a certain English wonderkid, who became the youngest captain in Bundesliga history when Terzic gave him the armband in a clash with Cologne on October 1.
Handing such a huge responsibility to a 19-year-old would usually raise huge question marks, but Jude Bellingham is no ordinary teenager.
Having been signed from Birmingham City for the bargain price of £25 million ($30m) in July 2020, Bellingham now has two-and-a-half seasons of experience under his belt in the German top flight and Champions League. He also boasts 22 England caps, five of which were won at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He's always been a huge asset to Dortmund, but he's reached a new level in 2023. Bellingham is no longer an unpolished diamond –he's the finished article.
Bellingham is making BVB tick with his performances in the middle of the park, providing invaluable support in the final third while also working tirelessly in defence. His footballing IQ is off the charts and his engine is second to none, which goes some way to explaining why every top club in Europe is poised to fight for his signature in the summer transfer window.
Dortmund have a chance in any game with Bellingham on the pitch, including at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. Inspiring BVB to the Champions League quarter-finals at Chelsea's expense would just be another standard day's work for a youngster that looks destined to become one of the great midfielders of his generation.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesReus' return to peak condition
Marco Reus' Dortmund career has been full of ups and downs, with injuries preventing him from living up to the loftiest of expectations, but there is no doubting his quality when fully fit and firing.
Persistent ankle problems saw the 33-year-old sit out BVB's autumn schedule, which is why Bellingham deputised as captain, and it was feared that his career at Signal Iduna Park could begin to peter out.
But Reus isn't ready to take a step back from the big time just yet. The Germany international, who boasts over 100 goals and assists in Bundesliga competition, returned in January to complete Terzic's line-up and has shown flashes of his very best form.
His biggest contribution so far came in Dortmund's 4-1 win against Hertha Berlin, as he set up the opening goal for Karim Adeyemi before netting a stunning 25-yard free-kick. Reus also netted a penalty in their latest victory over RB Leipzig to move into second in the club's list of all-time top goalscorers, and Terzic is in no doubt about the forward's importance to his side.
“Marco is our captain, he plays an extremely important role for us," the BVB boss said in February. "We missed him a lot, so we’re just happy that he’s healthy again, that he’s fit again. The interaction with Marco has been good, he feels good. We know all about his qualities.”
Reus is even reportedly attracting the attention of Manchester United, and if he can avoid an injury relapse, his stock will surely continue to rise between now and May.
Getty ImagesTerzic's tactical flexibility
Terzic was brought back to the club last summer after the departure of Marco Rose, and the decision to appoint the former interim boss on a permanent contract has proven to be a masterstroke.
The 40-year-old was already popular among supporters for overseeing a DFB-Pokal triumph in 2020-21 and he has embraced the chance to really show off his coaching chops this season.
“As a coach, I like variability and flexibility – not just in tactical terms but also in terms of player profiles,” Terzic told in January. “You need to be able to react to everything in a game."
The best illustration of that flexibility came in Dortmund's 2-1 win over RB Leipzig at Signal Iduna Park on Friday. Terzic saw his team crushed 3-0 in the reverse fixture, but small system tweaks reaped huge rewards on home soil.
Dortmund were happy to let Leipzig enjoy the lion share of possession, but by sitting back in a 4-1-4-1 formation, they were perfectly set up to exploit the visitor's weaknesses out wide on the counter.
Terzic allows the likes of Bellingham, Reus and Julian Brandt to roam freely, which helps them to combine to devastating effect between the lines. He also honed in on the importance of set-pieces over the winter, leading to a major improvement in output from dead-ball routines with six goals already scored in 2023 – three more than in the first half of the season.
Playing out from the back is usually a staple of this Dortmund side, with Gregor Kobel's impressive distribution skills from between the sticks crucial to that set-up, and they aim to keep their depth and width in order to storm into the final third as quickly as possible.
By favouring such a fluid system, Terzic has been able to bring the best out of BVB's most creative players without giving anything away at the back, and they are able to make adjustments depending on the opposition.
Terzicball is in full effect.
GettyBrandt's best season yet
Julian Brandt's talent has always been undeniable but consistency had proven elusive for the German in his first three seasons at Dortmund following a switch from Bayer Leverkusen in 2019.
The 2022-23 campaign has been a different story, however, as the 26-year-old has smoothed over his rough edges to become one of the most reliable performers in Terzic's team.
Brandt has made huge strides forward physically and is now showing a drive to win that is rubbing off on his team-mates. He picked up the Bundesliga Player of the Month award in January, and has nine goals and five assists to his name from 31 appearances across all competitions in total this term.
The Dortmund star's future has been the subject of much speculation, with no sign of an extension being agreed as he heads into the final year of his contract and Arsenal reportedly among his suitors, but Sebastian Kehl has made the club's stance on the player clear.
“We are seeing Julian’s development every day. He’s taken a giant step forward – and we’re very happy about that," the Dortmund sporting director told last month. "I’m aware of the contract situation, of course, and we’re approaching the issue in a very positive and relaxed manner.”
Brandt is forming part of one of the most exciting attacking units in Europe alongside Adeyemi, Reus and Bellingham, and his continued presence will be vital to Dortmund's chances of landing silverware come the end of the season.
