Borussia Dortmund: 5 Reasons They Can Challenge Guardiola's Bayern

After winning two consecutive Bundesliga titles as well as a DFB Pokal crown and plenty of bragging rights, the 2012-13 campaign brought Borussia Dortmund crashing back down to earth.

Bayern Munich’s short-lived vacation away from German dominance was brought to the most destructive of ends, with Jupp Heynckes’ side re-announcing themselves to the world, bigger and badder than ever, by winning the European treble.

Having done nothing but improve their squad this summer—more than slightly at the expense of Dortmund—it would be all too easy to look nowhere other than the Allianz Arena for title contenders next season.

However, Juergen Klopp’s men will have more of a say on Bundesliga matters than people perhaps give them credit for.

Out with the Old, in with the New

While Mario Goetze’s departure from Signal Iduna Park is a bitter one in terms of squad strength and the progress of their youth development, there’s reason to be joyful at Borussia Dortmund’s transfer window so far.

While strengthening your rivals isn’t generally considered to be textbook transfer dealing, there wasn’t much the Black and Yellows could do once Bayern had chosen to trigger the youngster’s €37 million buyout clause.

But, with the money made from that sale, Klopp’s side is arguably stronger than before, because what’s better than one very talented player?

The answer, of course, is two very talented players.

As was recently announced by the official Bundesliga website, BVB have brought in Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Shakhtar Donetsk and Saint-Etienne, respectively, for a combined fee believed to be in the region of £35 million.

Both very versatile talents more concentrated on their attacking responsibilities than anything else, the quick solution to the Goetze void will undoubtedly be pleasing for the club’s support.

What’s more encouraging is that the pair have already netted their first goals for the club in preseason and have looked very promising by all accounts, especially Armenian international Mkhitaryan.

Apart from Goetze, the club’s only other regular first-team player to leave is centre-back Felipe Santana, who was quickly replaced by Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who has been a very impressive asset for Werder Bremen of late.

A Wounded Deer Leaps Highest

“Going hard on the metaphors this week, aren’t we?” Well, I promise that’s the last one. But Borussia Dortmund’s likening to a woodland creature wouldn’t be made were it not perfectly fitting of their current state.

For losing in the Champions League final is always a harrowing experience, only made inexplicably worse when it comes at the hands of your current arch-rivals.

Right now, in terms of the power disposition in Germany, Borussia Dortmund are hurt and will have more enthusiasm than ever in overcoming the current champions of Europe.

As we’ve seen over the past four or five years, emotion is an incredibly powerful tool in that part of Germany, and while Pep Guardiola may have inherited the strongest squad in Europe, it doesn’t necessarily mean he has the strongest team.

Learning from Past Mistakes

Beginning with their decision to go public on the German stock exchange early in the 21st century, Borussia Dortmund aren’t long after recovering from near financial collapse.

Between 2002 and 2008, the club’s situation got to the point where sponsorships and hand-outs from other clubs (most notably Bayern Munich) were the only thing stopping them from going over the brink.

Coping with Bundesliga mediocrity, Juergen Klopp’s arrival at the club in 2008 helped steady a ship, along with some renewed direction on behalf of the club’s directors.

Spending outside their boundaries and treating their turn-of-the-century success as infinite was the mistake which drove Borussia Dortmund to the edge of ruin last time, and is a mistake they would appear to have learned from these days.

With the likes of Michael Zorc and Hans-Joachim Watzke now leading things more capably from behind the scenes, the club only spend within their margins, never moving beyond that which they already have.

Having tasted what greed can do to a club once already, BVB will be sure to steer clear of such pitfalls again, and continue to thrive as a result.

"Echte Liebe"

Bayern Munich’s evergreen support is one of the best in Germany and perhaps even Europe’s ranks. However, it’s a case of whatever you can do, I can do better for Borussia Dortmund, who boast arguably the most passionate support in the world.

Famous for the Yellow Wall section, Signal Iduna Park is home to one of the biggest followings in world football, constantly boasting one of the highest average attendances in the sport.

The feeling of being united with a common cause is summarised best in the club's motto, Echte Liebe, translating to "True Love" in English. 

As long as that continues to be the case, Juergen Klopp’s outfit will have the financial and morale backing of their supporters, a massive boon for any club.

Complacency Is Key

An ailment which ultimately affects every worldly power in football, complacency is a near certain in between a club’s cycle of power, regardless of when it will happen.

For Dortmund, it will be a case of clinging onto the hope that such an eventuality comes as soon as this season, just after Bayern have hoovered up just about every European trophy in their sight.

Whether it’s a case of just a few key players in Bayern’s side who don’t perform to specification, or some bad luck from a managing perspective, a club’s form can be decided on the finest of margins.

As long as Borussia Dortmund strive to continue progressing by their standards, the next objective is to simply pray Bayern get cocky in their efforts and that their own talent is enough to overcome their foes.

Under Pep Guardiola, Bayern are already being expected to achieve bigger things than Jupp Heynckes incredibly managed to as head of the team. But Guardiola may yet prove to be the wrong fit for the mould.

While that may sound like wishful thinking on behalf of the Yellow and Blacks, sometimes luck can simply prove to be instrumental in football.