Decades from now, the German football season of 2023/24 will be studied in forensic detail by historians and statisticians. Especially if Borussia Dortmund beat Real Madrid or the hosts win the Euros final in Berlin on July 14th.
Dortmund have become the epitome of finding a way to get results despite being comprehensively outplayed and lacking comparably technical players to their opposition (whoever gets the Ireland job should examine how they reached tonight’s Champions League final at Wembley stadium).
That’s taking nothing away from Bayer Leverkusen. Last week’s 3-0 loss to Atalanta in Europa League final was their solitary defeat from 54 matches, but it happened in between a first ever Bundesliga and German Cup double.
What Xabi Alonso has achieved at Bayer should stand the test of time. Just like what Jürgen Klopp built at Borussia 10 years ago has morphed into a culture of success in the Champions League.
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In between Dortmund’s two league titles under Klopp and Bayer’s unbeaten domestic campaign, Bayern Munich won 11 straight Bundesliga titles and two European Cups, so credit where credit is due.
That’s also what makes the rise of Leverkusen and Dortmund so remarkable. Harry Kane arrived in Munich this season, scoring 36 goals before his quest for silverware came undone in a tight semi-final defeat to Real Madrid.
The point being, Bayern Munich did not completely collapse in 2024. In fact, Kane’s hat-trick in Der Klassiker derby against Dortmund back in November exposed the gulf in standards between the teams.
And yet, here come Dortmund, 90 minutes away from being crowned the kings of Europe, probably because they focused on the Champions League since November, while managing to finish fifth in the Bundesliga and qualify for the tournament again next season.
As with their 2013 trip to the European decider, progress has a lot to do with Mats Hummels and Marco Reus.
Just like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos spent the past 10 years helping Madrid sides accumulate five European titles, Hummels and Reus exist at the core of Dortmund’s success.
Football is an old man’s game all of a sudden. Modric is 38. Kroos retires this summer age 34. Hummels and Reus are both 35.
Interestingly, all four veterans were used sparingly in domestic competitions, which is no problem to Real Madrid as they have Jude Bellingham working off Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni.
All generational players, yet Kroos remains the key midfielder for Real Madrid. Squawka stats put his magic touch into digestible numbers: 93.6 per cent pass accuracy over 300-plus La Liga matches. 86 per cent long pass accuracy. 632 chances created. 70 assists. 22 goals.
Hummels played every single minute of Dortmund’s amazing run to the Champions League final. Kroos is not far off while Modric remains Carlo Ancelotti’s ace in the hole for sticky end games.
What is it about these evergreen men? For starters, their technical proficiency places them in the top 0.1 per cent of players on the planet. And they must be putting the right fuel into their bodies from their teenage years. There is no other way to last this long at the top.
Real Madrid is the greatest football club. Ancelotti’s current squad have proven themselves superior to even the State-sponsored Manchester City, and they’re the best Premier League side we’ve seen.
It has a lot to do with how seamlessly Ancelotti blends youth and experience. Bellingham was insanely good up to December and although his level has dropped since – he’s only 20 – Vinicius Junior got better and better to help carry the superstar tag.
But that’s not how Real have remained so far beyond all comers. Collective defence and organisation is what dragged Man City to a penalty shootout.
In contrast to The Galacticos Madrid team of Zidane and Figo, everyone was willing to sacrifice their natural game to get the job done. Nacho and Antonio Rüdiger have been incredible as the centre halves. Nacho is the club’s unsung hero. He’s also 34, and has been at Real his whole career. Whereas he was previously left out of the big games, hardly ever first choice when everyone was fit, now he’s the skipper.
Real Madrid is the exception that emphasises Dortmund’s achievement. It’s a model that football historians and statisticians will examine in forensic detail to uncover the “how”.
Just a year ago, Marcel Sabitzer was mocked during a loan spell at Old Trafford, having failed to command a place at Bayern, yet the Austrian was the outstanding midfielder in the semi-final against Paris Saint Germain.
Clearly, they sign players who fit into an established system.
The real story behind Borussia’s European odyssey was topping a group that contained AC Milan, Newcastle United and PSG before a 5-4 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid in the last eight. Hummels willed them past PSG in the semis. How they managed to hold on when outplayed is best shown by a very non-German attack-at-all-costs approach that guarantees the concession of goals.
The “how” must focus on Edin Terzic, their head coach. He came through the Dortmund academy coaching system, reporting directly to Klopp until he followed Slaven Bilić to Beşiktaş in Turkey and West Ham before returning home, to take the top job in 2022.
Ancelotti stands alone these days, but the lingering idea that a high-profile name is essential to success in the Champions League is rubbished by Terzic’s journey.
I’m still backing Real Madrid but Borussia Dortmund, like Bayer, have already won the 2023/24 season. One more unforgettable final and we’ll reroute these players to the Euros. Except for Hummels, who Julian Nagelsmann did not include in the German squad. Why? How? Seemingly, Nagelsmann told Hummels that his age had worked against him, yet Kroos was actively pursued. Go figure.
