Three reasons why Borussia Dortmund will bounce back under Favre
BVB finished fourth in Bundesliga last term
Borussia Dortmund are well-represented at this summer’s World Cup, with BVB players representing six different nations in Russia.
However, changes are afoot back home, as new boss Lucien Favre gears up for his first campaign in charge of the Bundesliga’s best-supported club.
The Coral News Team think the appointment of the Swiss boss could bring the good times back to Signal Iduna Park…
His previous sides fit the Dortmund blueprint
While Favre’s Borussia Monchengladbach side of 2011-15 weren’t as gung-ho as Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund, there were similarities. Favre’s side played a similarly energetic, high-pressing and attack-minded game.
His hard-working teams are likely to endear themselves to the fans of this traditionally blue-collar club. But perhaps more importantly, his system will take little adapting to for Dortmund’s longer-serving players.
The likes of Marco Reus, Shinji Kagawa and Mario Gotze were all here during the Klopp years. Chances are those guys will hit the ground running under Favre in the coming campaign.
Bringing through young players
The 60-year-old boss has identified and put his faith in the top young talents at all of his former clubs – and it’s paid off big time.
At Monchengladbach, he threw in the previously unplayed 18-year-old keeper Marc Andre ter-Stegen at the close of the 2010-11 season.
It proved a fantastic decision, with Favre overseeing a dramatic survival act. Having taken over in February, with the club seemingly doomed for the drop, the rookie keeper was the hero of the hour.
That’s just one of a number of occasions where Favre has done this to good effect.
He snapped up a 19-year-old Granit Xhaka for Gladbach, helped turn Lukasz Piszczek into a top-class defender at Hertha BSC and most recently helped Wylan Cyprien progress at OGC Nice.
He knows the Bundesliga inside-out
In the Swiss boss, Dortmund already have a manager with plenty of experience in this league – and a track record of reviving underperforming clubs.
Whilst last year wasn’t a disaster for BVB, it was certainly a disappointment. They scraped fourth place in the Bundesliga – finishing a full 29 points behind champions Bayern Munich.
Things were yet more grim in the cups. The North Rhine-Westphalia club exited the Champions League in the group stage, and failed to make it past the last 16 of the DFB Pokal.
Favre is exactly the man to action the turnaround Dortmund need. He turned Gladbach from relegation certs to qualifying for Champions League football in under 18 months.
As Hertha boss, he also delivered a top-four finish to a side who’d underperformed massively in prior seasons. The Yellow Wall should have plenty to cheer about in the coming campaign.
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