Extra Time - Dortmund's Dynasty

Many people expected normal service to resume in the Bundesliga this season, as 2011’s impressive championship winners Borussia Dortmund, were expected to fall back in place and Bayern Munich were widely expected win the domestic shield.  And after the runaway start that the Bavarians had in the fall of 2011, it looked that way. However, after a slightly indifferent start, Dortmund have quietly gathered pace and moved back up the table to the summit. Going back to their basics of pace, counterattacking poise and constant running, they shrugged off a disappointing Champions’ League campaign to storm to the top of the Bundesliga.  At the time of writing, they are just two points and one win away from retaining their domestic crown. More tellingly, they are on course for a domestic double and have just beaten Bayern, their closest challengers, for the fourth time in a row.  Manager Jurgen Klopp has brushed off claims linking him to Chelsea and talented tyro Marco Reus, at Borussia Moenchengladbach, spurned the attentions of Bayern and instead decided to accept a switch to Westphalia; where he will join the most exciting stable of young footballing talent outside of Catalonia.





So, Dortmund have the consistency to ensure a winning legacy, a young team, an exciting coach who wants to stay and now the ability to attract young talent as well.  Are they Germany’s new force? Hardly, that crown still rests with Bayern.  But the Schwarzengelben are very much on the march. Watch this space as they seek to cement their place further in Germany, and announce themselves in Europe. After all, other than Bayern, their main rivals, they are the only other German team to have won the Champions’ League, winning in 1997 under Scottish manager Paul Lambert. This team could go on to become a regular in the knockout stages of Europe’s showpiece affair. And playing some of the best football there is, along the way.

Speaking of Lambert, his return to the Premiership with Norwich City has been a success with his side very comfortable in 11^th place, currently, with only the slimmest, most mathematical chances of relegation.  His team has played confident, pacy football which, albeit lacking in class, has been full of confidence and verve.  Norwich’s resurgence this time around is a far cry from their meek surrender in 2004-05, when they were found to be wanting at the very highest level.  While never in the running for either the Champions’ or Europa League places, Norwich have shown they belong and have not resorted to the negative, physical tactics that their predecessors like Bolton and Stoke, used to cement their places in the top flight, following promotion.  A large part of that success goes down to Lambert, who has taught his charges to play the ball on the ground and break with purpose and positivity.  The retention of their spot will bring deserved financial rewards to Carrow Road, allowing Lambert to continue his project unabated.  The Canaries’ faithful will look back longingly on Norwich’s three consecutive seasons in the Premiership from 1992-94, including leading the league through January ’93, and an odyssey into the UEFA Cup, reaching the third round in 1994.

Just below Norwich, an even more encouraging success story are Swansea, sitting pretty in 12th, having played an effervescent pass based styled of football.  Other than defeats at Manchester City and Chelsea, The Swans have never looked out of place and an impressive scalp of Arsenal was no more than they deserved.  Still not mathematically safe, they sit in lower midtable and have been many neutrals’ favourites in games this season.  Ironic that the manager who instilled this exciting retention heavy style of play, back when Swansea were in the third tier, in League One, and then departed for a Premiership side, risks getting relegated with the very same Wigan, this year.  Robert Martinez is a talented and affable manager, whose ambition may have gotten ahead of itself.

Manchester United, after their comfortable, and in many ways typical, win over Aston Villa, 4-0, sit in pole position to retain the Premiership crown, their 20^th league title.  If they win this season, it will be their 13^th title in since the rebranding of the league in 1992.  However, at the risk of sounding polemic, their latest win, like several of their previous ones, continues to ring hollow.  United are to be credited for making the most of a limited squad and for staying the course, after favourites for the majority of the season, Manchester City, fell away.  However, the same criticisms that have been levelled at Alex Ferguson’s charges before, remain.  United don’t crush their nearest rivals or dominate them, they simply grind out wins against the rest of the league.  They are not the best team in the land, just the best at beating everyone else.  They gain a large helping of points and wins from controversial refereeing decisions as several members of their teams resort to flagrant gamesmanship, notably their most recent addition to the Premiership’s diving pantheon, Ashley Young; and finally, they benefit from several teams, coached by noted Ferguson acolytes, fielding weaker sides or simply giving up in games against United.  Arguably, three wins every season are gained from critical decisions and another three from matches against submissive and willing teams.  That’s a handicap of 18 points that United gain almost every year.  They may be English football’s most successful and well supported club but the league remains in their clutches in more ways than one.  Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and now City have all learned that while they must scrap and fight through every one of their 38 games, United can coast through a campaign in second gear with several walkovers along the way.  It’s a subtle, somewhat labored point, but the fact remains that even with a limited side, United can ease to the domestic league crown, a damning indictment of the competition.

Finally, speaking of damning indictments, how sorry have Chelsea and Liverpool’s seasons been?  While the former still retain a small hope of winning the Champions’ League, only a fool would expect them to proceed past Barcelona and then beat one of Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.  The latter’s campaign, after heavy investment and strong rhetoric in the summer, was expected to be one of title challenge and elevation to the top of the league table.  However, in actuality their season has spluttered and died with abominable league form, frequent incidents of gamesmanship and a recidivist and offensive manager condemning them to a mid-table finish, closer to the drop than the Champions’ League.  How fitting then, that the two biggest underachieving clubs in Europe this season, are set to duke it out for the FA Cup, the remaining piece of notable silverware on offer, and something that, would still not lift the gloom from both clubs.  Manchester City look to be finishing potless, fellow billionaires Chelsea have a decent chance of one trophy but may miss out on the Champions’ League and Liverpool have paid over 50 million pounds to win the Carling Cup, so far.  The 2013 Europa League is the biggest winner if current trends remain with both Chelsea and Liverpool set to feature next season.

Perhaps money does not buy success, perhaps Arsene really does know (sic).