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The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

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Probably the closest chance to a Bundesliga title in a decade, and an opportunity to fight to the end, can Dortmund, who has ups and downs, seize it?

In the 30th round of the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund went 1-1 to Bochum's Ruhr stadium, and referee Stigman and VAR Robert Hartmann turned a blind eye to the fact that Adeyemi's penalty area could no longer be visibly violated. The final mystery of the Bundesliga champion may have been swayed by the wrong penalty of the whistle.

After disappointment, frustration and anger, Dortmund, who lost the initiative in the championship race, did not give up, winning 6-0 to Wolfsburg and 5-2 to Borussia Mönchengladbach, as coach Terzić said, "We will use every inch of skin and hair to defend the chance of winning the title", Dortmund vowed to fight until the last moment. Bayern have been unstable for nearly a decade, and the "bumblebee" first does itself well, and then seeks the favor of the god of fate. The opportunity soon came, Bayern was defeated by RB Leipzig 1-3 in the round of 33, while Dortmund beat Augsburg 3-0 to return to the top!

The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

Awakening and outbursts

In the second half of the season, Dortmund got off to a strong start, winning 10 straight and becoming the most popular team in Europe at the beginning of 2023. "Anti-cancer fighter" Alai returns, and although Haaland's substitute arrives late, the Yellow and Black Army finally has a bridgehead and battering ram. In fact, Terzic's use of Alli was once very limited, and there were not many tactics tailored for the high school forward, and Dort has long been accustomed to speed forwards such as Aubameyang and Haaland, and the wing is not used to playing highball. As a result, the tall and strong Alli is more for his teammates to make green leaves, and his main task is to compete for high balls and lean on the opponent's central defender to open up space for teammates next to him. However, in the end-of-season sprint, Alli's form became more and more high, scoring a total of five goals in three consecutive matches, quickly increasing the season's total production to nine.

The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

Adeyemi and Mullen's two wingers broke out in 2023, also thanks to the containment of Alli in the center of the box, the two can play speed and dribbling on the wing, or suddenly insert into the box to become the second striker, Dort's front court is no longer the straggler in the first half of Modest's fatigue. Adeyemi's Bundesliga goal account was opened against Bayer Leverkusen in the 18th round, and it was Adeyemi's outflanking at the back post after Alli withstood the opponent's central defender. Subsequently, last season's Austrian League Golden Boot also staged a famous one-mile ride in the first leg of the Champions League 1/8 final against Chelsea.

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Mullen's outburst is even more gratifying. After a year and a half of joining, Mullen gradually topped the label of parallel goods, and his worth of 30 million euros made people feel more and more that he would become the next Schurrle. However, after switching to the right half and gradually echoing his teammates, the Dutchman, who was not selected for the World Cup in Qatar, turned into "Leonardo", scoring five consecutive league games from mid-March to mid-April, scoring eight goals in eight rounds. Terzić repeatedly praised Mullen's "thigh" potential to score goals from all angles in training, and he finally got real on the pitch.

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The following week after hating Bochum, Dort responded at home with a 6-0 win over Wolfsburg and a trident in attack. Adeyemi, who scored twice with super speed and bounce, missed a hat-trick on a penalty, and when the young man was replaced with a slight disappointment, he received a deafening cheer of more than 80,000 fans "Adeyemi, Adeyemi". Dort is leading by a wide margin, and the players such as Adeyemi are still hungry for goals, which is enough to see the yellow and black soldiers' desire for a salad plate. As coach Terzić said, Dort responded to Bayern, who had previously dropped points and started with three points, with a top-level performance from the beginning. In 16 Bundesliga home games, the Hornets won 14, drew 1 and lost 1, scoring 53 goals madly, such a hearty attack and the Devil's home results, worthy of the Bundesliga title.

The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

Dort's improvement in the second half is significantly more than the above two, and the soon-to-be-standing Emre Jen has completed self-awakening by training and changing his diet structure, becoming a single back in Terzic's 4141 formation. Brandt came to his best stage since joining Dort, and was named Bundesliga player of the month in January and February. In his contract year, left-back Rafael Guerrero was also comfortable in the central midfield, providing a maximum of nine assists in the second half of the Bundesliga. Norwegian full-back Lursson, who joined from Union Berlin in winter, is also diligent and can contribute energy on both the left and right wings.

The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

Home and away metaphysics

The overall trend of the Hornets since the New Year is commendable, and the home court is invincible, now with 11 consecutive wins, setting a record for the longest home winning streak for a team in a single season. After a 4-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt and an early two-goal advantage, the more than 80,000-strong Westphalia stadium resounded "Who is the Bundesliga champion?" Dortmund in Prussia! ". I don't know if the yellow-black ocean on the scene has a chance to boil in the final round at home against Mainz.

The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

There is joy at home, how bitter it is away from home, and this time it was a portrayal of Dort. In the recent visit to three relegation teams Schalke 04, Stuttgart and Bochum, the Yellow and Black Army can only get 1 point. Among them, the 3-3 Stuttgart game is the most representative, Dort has a two-goal advantage in the first half and plays one more, but after the lead, the opportunity to kill the game is easily squandered, and the defense line is becoming more and more stormy over time, and Terzić is also a wrong signal to remove Alli, Mullen and other players after 60 minutes when he leads by two goals but the scene is already passive. In both Rohr derby, Dort was completely dominant in the scene, but constantly wasted chances, and also encountered a super miscalculation on a rainy night in Bochum. Bayern, on the other hand, scored all 9 points when visiting these 3 teams. The home stadium is not a chance to score goals, how to play how to have, a good opportunity to grasp the away opportunity, how to play is nothing, has become a metaphysics belonging to Dort. The problem of capsizing in the gutter has plagued Dort for many years, both due to the lack of absolute strength, the lack of overall aura of the team, and of course, luck.

Dort's recent volatility in results is also linked to a spate of injuries that began at the end of February, with Adeyemi and Brandt both injured at the peak of their form, and centre-back Nico Schlotebeck having repeated muscle problems since returning from Germany at the end of March. When Stuttgart scored a 3-3 tie, Schlotebeck, Juller and Hummels – were absent from the three main centre-backs, and 19-year-old centre-back Sumaila Koulibaly, who made his Bundesliga debut, was clear.

The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

Missed will not come again

From great compassion to great joy, and then from great joy to great compassion, Dort was once like riding a roller coaster. After 25 rounds, Dort beat Bayern, who lost 1-2 to Bayer Leverkusen, to reach the top for the first time this season, only to lose 2-4 to Allianz in the next round; In the round of 29, Bayern lost 3-1 away to Mainz, and Dort took pole again, only to give way a week later. This also made the German media ridicule "How much does Bayern have to be too strong for Dort to win the championship?" Or "the Bundesliga title race is like a snail race".

The Bundesliga's bellwether position this season is really like a hot potato, Dort finished first twice, and the next round was 1 draw and 1 defeat. Bayern have played 20 times before, and in the next round the result is only 11 wins, 6 draws and 3 defeats, the winning rate is just over 50%. From the 6th to the 12th round, the dark horse Berlin United topped the table, and the East Berliners had only 4 wins and 3 losses in the next round. Freiburg also led the way once in September, followed by a 0-0 win against Borussia Mönchen that led to the Black Foresters' ouster. It was a true Bundesliga 'handicap' season, with Bayern, who returned to the top in the 30th round, defending the salad plate with a complete win in the final stage, while they capsized at home in the 33rd round.

The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

There is no doubt that this is the closest Borussia Dort has come to a Bundesliga title in the past decade and possibly the next decade. Bayern in the post-Lewandowski cycle, unable to slash and dominate the Bundesliga as before, Bayern can get up to 71 points this season, and the lowest score during the ten-game winning streak is also 77, the last time the Bundesliga won with less than 75 points, or Bayern with 70 points in 2009-10. From Neuer's serious skiing injury, to Nagelsmann's sudden departure from class, from the German Cup and Champions League out, Mane's punching of Sane after the first leg against Manchester City, to Kahn and Salihamidzic suffering from the crisis of class, Bayern have had an extremely tumultuous half a year. Recently, Bayern won three consecutive wins for the first time under Tuchel, but the opponents were only deputy squad head Hertha Berlin, promoted team Bremen and Schalke 04, Shupo Morting was continuously absent, Bayern without a positive center forward, the attack was quite jerky, making fans shout "watching Bayern is like going to prison".

The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

Dort cannot compete with Bayern on a financial level, with a budget of almost 200 million euros per season. The wrong decision at Bayern's top brass not to make a centre-forward signing after Lewandowski's departure gave Dort a chance, and next season, Bayern are set to bring in a world-class No.9. On the other hand, Dort's probability of losing midfielder Bellingham, the eyebrows of England's talent joining Real Madrid, has become clearer. Bellingham has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season, even the team's top scorer (Brandt, Mullen both 10 goals), and the all-round warriors everywhere on the pitch, because the captain and vice-captain Royce and Hummels are no longer absolute main players, wearing the captain's armband many times, and have grown into absolute leader players. If he leaves, he will definitely not be able to make one-on-one reinforcements. While struggling to make up for it, and facing blood loss, how does Dort approach Bayern?

The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

In any case, this season of the Bundesliga title race is expected to continue until the last minute of the final round. For Dortmund, this is an opportunity that must give everything it to.

The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

 The author of this article: Qin Youxia

This article was originally published in Football Weekly Issue 866

Release date: 2023.5.10

The image comes from the Internet

The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it
The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it
The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it
The best Bundesliga opportunity of the decade, Borussia Dortmund don't want to miss it

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