There is no club is better [than Dortmund] at promoting young taleta and taking them to the next career level. I want to continue my development here and contribute by giving titles and victories, “said Jude Bellingham when he came to Signal Iduna Park earlier this season.
Bellingham is only 17 years old, but Lucien Favre has no qualms about giving him a place in the starting squad. In the 2020/21 Bundesliga, Bellingham has made five appearances – four starting.
Bellingham extended the roster of young ammunition die Borussen. Prior to his arrival, Dortmund had a myriad of talented young players in Jadon Sancho, Erling Braut Haaland, to Giovanni Reyna. This series of young talents was developed by Dortmund in the hope of a coup against their overly dominant rivals, Bayern Munich.
The last eight seasons, Bayern always lifted Meisterschale at the end of the season. The club from Bavaria has confirmed their dominance in German football. They have won 30 league titles in history, 22 more than Dortmund.
Compared to other Bundesliga clubs, Dortmund are the favorites to break Die Roten’s dominance. In the 21st century, apart from Miroslav Klose’s Werder Bremen and the brief triumphs of VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg, Dortmund is the only team capable of displacing Bayern from the top. Dortmund vs Bayern rivalry has also become the main focus of the German League in the last two decades. Der Klassiker, that’s the name of this match.
Unlike classic parties in other countries, Dortmund vs Bayern does not have an essential non-football aspect. Their rivalry is purely competitive. Klassiker began to reach the highest level when Dortmund reached its golden age in the 1990s.
In the 2000s, this rivalry had subsided due to Die Borussen’s decadence. After the legendary coach Matthias Sammer left Westfalenstadion, Dortmund had a difficult time breaking into the top flight. They were even fourth of the top 10 in 2007/08.
Klassiker’s excitement had just returned to life when Dortmund appointed the eccentric former Mainz 05 coach, Juergen Klopp, to lead the squad. Klopp brought Die Borussen back to the Bundesliga elite team map, winning two titles in 2010/11 and 2011/12.
After Klopp’s departure, Dortmund consistently challenged Bayern at the top. Four coaches have tried to emulate Klopp’s success, from Thomas Tuchel, Peter Bosz, Peter Stoeger, to now Lucien Favre. However, they always failed to prevent Die Roten from reaching Meisterschale. Bavaria is too powerful. Jupp Heynckes, Josep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Hans-Dieter Flick, even Niko Kovac were always able to maintain dominance.
The dominance of Bavaria was confirmed by the transfer market. The last decade, Bayern have been diligently “deflating” the strength of their rivals by recruiting their best players. Mario Goetze, Robert Lewandowski and Mats Hummels were the main Klopp-era Dortmund players who crossed over to Bayern. Other Bundesliga players, Leon Goretzka, Niklas Suele, Benjamin Pavard, and Alexander Nuebel also chose Bayern.
Goetze’s development did not match expectations at the Allianz Arena. Hummels then returned to Dortmund. However, Lewandowski regularly broke records with Die Roten, became the second top scorer in the club’s history, and won the Torjaegerkanone for three consecutive seasons.
Now, that era is almost over. Bayern and Dortmund are developing new talents who are starting to take a vital role in Der Klassiker. At least, four young players will play their first Bundesliga Klassiker on Sunday. In Dortmund, Bellingham and Reyna confirmed their role in the first team this season. The two players complement the progress of young players such as Jadon Sancho and Haaland who first joined Die Borussen.
Meanwhile, on the Bayern side, Leroy Sane continued the story of his rivalry against Dortmund. Sane is certainly no stranger to fierce duels against Die Borussen, having lived it in the Revierderby while still defending Schalke 04.
Apart from Sane, Jamal Musiala looks to have a bright future with Bayern. In the near future, Musiala will not replace Robert Lewandowski’s position. However, Musiala has made history by becoming Bayern’s youngest goalscorer. Bellingham had his first experience facing Bayern in the German Super Cup last September. The England midfielder entered on 76 minutes. Klassiker Bellingham’s debut did not go as expected after Joshua Kimmich sealed Bayern’s victory.
Bellingham had the opportunity to appear from the first minute. The quality of the game does not need to be doubted to fill the starting line-up. However, if Favre considers playing experience, Delaney or Dahoud will take Bellingham’s place.
Despite being 17 years old, Bellingham has proven himself capable of playing at the highest level. The ex-Birmingham man tends to play like an energetic plus box-to-box midfielder have above average technical capabilities. Bellingham often shows his ability to dribble the ball past the opponent’s player. From a defensive aspect, Bellingham also appeared solid in midfield. He has won 10 tackles in five Bundesliga matches, the most among Dortmund players. Nine of the 10 tackles were won in midfield.
There is no doubt about Bellingham’s work ethic. He is one of Dortmund’s most diligent players, ahead of only Reyna who has played more minutes. Bellingham is one of the most exciting midfield talents of the year. Together with Reyna, Haaland and Sancho, the young man born in Stourbridge, England is the future of Die Borussen. With this new generation, Favre intended to coup Bayern.
ASL
