Watch out Europe, Borussia Dortmund are back doing what they do best

Analysis

Ronan Murphy | Social Media

Bayern Munich won the 2026 Franz Beckenbauer Supercup. Anyone could have predicted that before the game kicked off. It's what Bayern do. Win trophies in Germany. It's why Harry Kane moved there. But what the Supercup gave Borussia Dortmund and its fans is maybe something better than a one-game trophy. It gave them hope.

The famous Yellow Wall got their first sight of their new recruits, particularly Greek duo Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias, as well as new teenage defender Joane Gadou. Karetsas showed glimpses of potential with clever tricks and neat passes before Konstantelias came off the bench to begin life with an incredible first touch, a brilliant dribble and then an assist.

The new Borussia Dortmund is here. Or maybe it's actually the old Borussia Dortmund. The one known for bringing through brilliant talent like Jude Bellingham or Erling Haaland or Ousmane Dembele. Perhaps Konstantelias will be spoken of in the same way as these superstars. He is only 23, but PAOK fans were so addicted to him in Greece that they protested to try to keep him at the club.

Signing someone like him is a clear strategy from Dortmund, with managing director Carsten Cramer outlined that this return to what made Dortmund Dortmund in the past is no coincidence. Selling players is a necessity for them because they do not have the same level of external investment as other Champions League contenders due to Germany's 50+1 ownership rule, but developing them and keeping them for longer is now one of the club's main goals.

"It's part of an overall strategy and philosophy that we identified once more the roots of our club and the DNA," Cramer explained. "We asked ourselves the strategic questions where are we coming from and where do we want to be in five of ten years. We need to generate potential for growth. We need to create more spectacle in the stadium.

"It's not a question of signing young or old or from abroad or local. But to create more hope and identification. It was a clear decision when we hired Ole [Book, new sporting director, seen in main image alongside new signing Joey Veerman] that we wanted to make a change, not only with the senior team but the youth teams. It's no coincidence that someone like Lars Ricken, who is a one-club guy, is now running the sports department. Maybe that is a nice symbol to show where we are coming from and where we want to go.

"Of course at some point, we still need to sell players. We need to close the gap between our revenues and expenses by selling some players. But our target is to postpone this moment as long as possible. Maybe in previous years, we kept the players playing for us for one or two seasons, but now we want to keep them playing as long as possible.

"Just 10 years ago, the best players moved from Dortmund to Bayern, but now our best players no longer move in the Bundesliga, but like Jude to Real or Erling to Man City or Dembele to Barcelona. This shows some progress because in previous decades our biggest national rival took our best players. Of course, at some point we need to generate revenue by selling players, but we are a football club, we are ambitious, and this Bellingham [Jobe], we want to keep one or two years longer than us than Jude. For sure, we have to sell some players, but we want to make it as late as possible."

Getting the coach on board is a clear part of any club's strategy. Cramer speaks of working closely with Niko Kovac, and is "100 per cent sure he's the right man at the right moment."

Kovac is getting a feel for how best to use the new young players at his disposal, and there were extremely promising signs in the Supercup where Dortmund almost scored a late equaliser that would have sent the game to penalties.

Maxi Beier was frustrated and disappointed he could not keep his shot under the bar, and after the match looked forlorn sitting outside the dressing room until veteran attacker Serhou Guirassy came to speak to him. The experience of players like 30-year-old Guirassy will no doubt help some of the younger players through these tough times, and Kovac believes this blend will ensure that Dortmund's new arrivals can succeed in the way their predecessors did at Signal Iduna Park.

"Overall we are mixing a new team. We kept the spine of experienced players and now we are trying to create the BVB of the past with young talents which can compete like in the past," Kovac admitted. "Not everyone knew them before now, but we watched them for a long period and we know exactly their talent and they will adapt very fast.

"To be here, you have to have a quality. Young, talented players are giving the group something what is necessary. They are pushing the older ones. If you have just older ones, they will pull the handbrake, sit down, and do everything comfortably, but they are also guiding the younger players so they can learn faster and easier.

"If you only have young players, what will a young player learn from a young player. Maybe they will learn, but it will take a lot more time. So the mixture is important to push them on the training field and in the game. But the experience is also necessary to show them what it takes to become a top player, a top professional."

Bayern Munich may win the Bundesliga almost every season, but that does not hold back Borussia Dortmund from being one of Europe's best clubs. Just two years ago, they reached the Champions League final. With the club now returning to what made them great in the past, there will surely be many more exciting European nights to come.

Written by

Ronan Murphy | Social Media

Ronan Murphy is a Bundesliga expert and is Head of Social for the Realtimes Network's English language websites, including FootballTransfers, GPFans and Anfield Watch, among others. He joined FootballTransfers in 2022, having spent the previous decade helping to make Goal.com the world’s biggest football website. He served as Deputy Editor of the Ireland edition and later Social Media Editor for all of Goal’s English language editions.

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