Over the years, in European football, fans have become accustomed to the league titles in the different countries being won by a select few teams year after year. However, in recent times, the traditional tide has been changing in Germany. Bayern Munich don't have the same iron grip that on the Fußball-Bundesliga that they had held so comfortably for so long. Wolfsburg showed the rest that there was hope of challenging for the league two seasons ago, by buying in some good talent and playing attacking football. This season, Borussia Dortmund have taken that blueprint, with expenditure replaced with an unnerving faith in youth, and they have romped to the German league title.
From finishing in fifth place in the 2009/2010 season, to becoming champions the following year, is no mean feat in itself; but Dortmund have done it in such style, playing without fear or abandon. They didn't make any huge transfers last summer, bringing in five modest signings, exactly what was needed. Instead of the marquee style of many big clubs, Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp opted to not rock the boat of the squad, instead promoting from within the youth structure and being careful with their transfer activity.
Although the strategy of Dortmund's was not to specifically recruit many and at a high cost, that is not to say that they didn't buy in talent. One signing in particular, from the summer, that highlights just how shrewd Dortmund were, is the Japanese midfielder -- Shinji Kagawa. Relatively unknown to European football at the time, he has turned out to be a wonderful addition to the German league and Dortmund especially. Kagawa is a tricky playmaker of a midfielder; comfortable on the wing and through the centre, scoring goals and creating them, until his season was curtailed by an injury he picked up playing for Japan in the Asia Cup.
If Kagawa was the star of the transfers, then Mario Götze was the star Dortmund's youth policy. Götze has been an absolute revelation in the Dortmund team; still only 18 years of age come the end of the season, but a true mainstay in the first team. He has rewarded his manager's faith in him by adding a touch of class, vision and technique, coupled with a youthful exuberance saw him become a key member of Klopp's team. The hard part will now come with Dortmund trying to hang onto this exceptionally talented youngster, with some of Europe's top clubs sniffing around his signature, over the coming months.
What Borussia Dortmund need to be congratulated on is not just that they have won the Bundesliga without spending big and with a relatively young side, but by the way they approach each and every game of football that they play. It is evident to anybody who has watched them play this season, that they play first and foremost as a team; each and every player looks as if they would sacrifice individual glory for the better of the collective. The attacking nature and the classy confidence, that has grown within them as a team as the season has progressed, has been a joy to experience as well.
In Jurgen Klopp, Dortmund have a great manager who intends to play the game the right way. They have a wonderful spine of talented footballers; defensive solidarity stems from the imperious Mats Hummels and Neven Subotić, Nuri Şahin, Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa provide the creative guile in the middle of the pitch, and Lucas Barrios, as the lone striker, combines a great work ethic with an eye for goal, to complete this blend of talent.
Whatever happens with Borussia Dortmund next season, they have set an example to other football clubs. In hard economic times, using the sustainable German model, Dortmund have been able to find a winning formula that not only delivers entertaining football, but also a championship for their fans; alongside being a place for their young players to flourish in an ideal environment. They are deserved Bundesliga champions in 2010/2011 and proof to clubs, looking to spend hundreds of millions each summer, that great things can be achieved with the right attitude, stability and belief.