Why Borussia Dortmund Are Your Second Favourite Team (Again)

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Why Borussia Dortmund Are Your Second Favourite Team (Again)

Using the young Jurgen Klopp-era Dortmund side of 2012 as the reference point, the video argues that Dortmund are rebuilding another youthful surge. The host sees them becoming neutrals' second favourite team again, but does not expect them to dethrone Bayern Munich; Bayern and Premier League money remain the main obstacles, though a young core maturing together could recreate the culture-club era.

Check out NortonVPN here: https://norton.ow5a.net/c/221109/4022657/4405?sharedid=fourfourtwo&param1=aff&param2=ytvideo&param3=vpn&subid1=OctFFT7 The early 2010's saw Jurgen Klopp's legendary Dortmund team as everyone's second favourite club, winning two Bundesliga titles, reaching the Champions League final and developing some of the most talented players of that generation. Now, in 2026, they look like they could be on the path to doing it again. With young talents, a great manager and some interesting signings, Joe Donnohue returns with 'The Boy's A Bit Special' to bring you exactly why Dortmund are your second favourite team (again). football dortmund championsleague Buy the latest FourFourTwo magazine here ➡️ https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/FourFourTwo/author/B0GSRRXJWK?ref=srnttsrchlnk1&qid=1786984945&sr=8-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true ⚽ FourFourTwo - At the heart of football since 1994 - in print - online - on video ⚽ 📰 SUBSCRIBE: https://bit.ly/3ErE4ai 💻 WEBSITE: https://bit.ly/3GFXMC0 Follow FourFourTwo on: Twitter/X: https://x.com/FourFourTwo?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fourfourtwouk/?hl=en TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fourfourtwoofficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FourFourTwo/?locale=enGB 📥 Sign up below for 𝗘𝗫𝗧𝗥𝗔-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 @FourFourTwo's FREE weekday newsletter 🤝: Transfers 🛒: Deals 🎥: Videos 💡: Quizzes ✍️: Opinion ➕: 𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙀 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 👇 https://t.co/Yn3AQUt7b6

Transcript

Let me take you back to 2012. Tumblr was a big thing. Everyone was wearing those shutter shade sunglasses. I had Justin Bieber hair and Barussia Dortmund were at their football hipster peak. We all knew someone who claimed they supported that Dortmund team because they just won the Bundesliga. They had a 23-year-old Robert Leandowski banging the goals in and [music] all of their players were absolutely class on FIFA Ultimate Team. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug. But what if I told you those glory days are making a return? I'm Joe Donahue. This is Boys a Bit Special and I'm here to tell you once again why young players are everything. So get your black and yellow scarves out, fire up your PS3. Dortmund are back. That 2012 Dortmund team led by Jurgen Klopp was underpinned by several talented youngsters. Mario Girtzer only 20, Ilka Gundowan 21, Marco Royce signed that summer from Munch and Gladback, Shinji Kagawa, Ivan Perisic, Nevin Subatic and Matt Hummels all just 23. Well, at the time of recording, Dortmund have four wins from five in the Bundesliga this season and they're doing it all over again. We'll have to subtitle this up, but Dinda Zindi Zukun Barussia Dortmund are about to become everyone's second favorite team again. Why? Because Niko Kovatch has looked at the 2012 playbook [music] and said, "Yeah, we'll have a bit of that." Now, I'm not tipping Dortmund to win the league. No, that's very much Bayern Munich to lose, and I don't think they will. I'm saying that everyone likes an underdog, if you can call Dortmund that. Then again, in Bundesliga terms, anyone who isn't buying practically is one. First things first, though, if you're new to football, weren't around in 2012, or simply weren't paying attention, I'll start at the beginning. Why were Dortmund regarded as the hipster club of the early 2010s? In summary, Jurgen Klopp, heavy metal football, the yellow wall, loud, authentic match the atmospheres, affordable tickets, winning the league cup double in 2012, going unbeaten in and topping a Champions League group which had Manchester City, Real Madrid and Ajax in it. And they did it all with that exciting young core. In the 20112 season when they last won the Bundesliga, this was a team that lost three of its opening six matches, then went unbeaten across the next 28, winning 23 of those on route to the title. The rise also coincided perfectly with the explosion of football social media, blogging, and tactical analysis like early Twitter. You had Dortmund's famous yellow kits, a rockstar manager in a tracksuit, and a real organic success story. It was perfect for tacticians, footballing romantics, [music] and the rest. We dare you to say you didn't get a little bit swept up in it. Dortmund has always had a reputation for identifying, platforming, and developing young talent. I mean, look at what playing for the club did for Jude Bellingham and Erling Holland. Could we honestly say they'd be the same players now without the exposure they had to high level football at such a young age there? Probably not. Over the past decade, that trust in youth policy has ebbed and flowed with some coaches prioritizing more of a [music] win now philosophy. So, in certain seasons, there's been fewer opportunities for the young lads. But the good times are back. At least in my book, they are. So, how exactly are they doing it again? Well, let's have a look at Dortmund's summer transfer business. You won't find many clubs who signed seven players, five of which were teenagers. Constantinas Caretsus and Yan Gadu were the big ones, arriving for about 50 million euros altogether. Caretsus and Gadu had been playing in Europe's second tier leagues, Belgium and Austria. That is to say, the leagues just below the top five, still top divisions in their respective countries. Dortmund also brought in Ethan Moneri from Arsenal on loan because when you've already signed four teenagers, what's one more? And not forgetting, there are also a number of youngsters who were already at the club, some of whom have been promoted to the senior squad this season. To name but a few, Luca Reani, Samuel Inasio, and uh Joe Bellingham. Anyone? Let's get into the players a little bit more then. Caretszus to start. Constantinas Caretszus is basically the Greek Ryan Sheri or perhaps the Bundesliga Shery. He's an 18-year-old Greek international and one of the Bundesliga's brightest prospects. The clips you're watching should be more than enough justification as to why that's the case. Caretus was born in the Belgian city of Genk and at 15, still looking every bit his age, stepped into the spotlight with his hometown club's B team. Now, an important thing to understand here is that young GK, the B team, competed in Belgium's second tier against senior teams. So, he was doing that at 15. He scored three goals in his first seven appearances for that side and played regularly throughout that season. Then soon enough began appearing for first team by now 16. The thing with Caretsus is he's always looking to try and create an angle for a shot or a pass at that top right hand corner of the penalty area. He's tricky as well, and he will try to nutmeg you if it's on. But he's equally likely to switch the focus of an attack with a diagonal ball across the pitch or dink a pass over defender's heads to meet the oncoming run of a teammate, which I think shows decent football IQ. And if you didn't buy what I was saying earlier about him being a decent creator, the stats speak for themselves because last [music] season he got 14 assists. We're yet to see it in Germany, but I've got a feeling he's in the perfect place to demonstrate it. He's really got a bit of the Kagawas about him. Before we carry on, a quick word from today's sponsor, NortonVPN. Whether you're working from a coffee shop, traveling, or just browsing at home, [music] you're constantly sending information across the internet. So, what NortonVPN can do is add an extra layer of privacy by encrypting your internet connection and helping keep your online activity more private. It's simple to use, works across your everyday devices, and you can connect to VPN servers in locations all around the world, whether you're at home or on the move. So, if you want to add another layer of privacy and security to your everyday browsing, click the link in the description to find out more and see the latest NortonVPN offer. Right, back to the video. Onto Gadu then, a huge central defender, a proper unit, especially for his age. You won't find many 19-year-olds with Paris Sanain, Red Bull Saltsburg, and Barussia Dortmund already on their CV. Nor are there many central defenders who were already standing 6'5 in tall during their youth football days. Yan Gadu has already commanded £25 million or30 million in transfer fees before add-ons and bonuses in his career so far. And scouts that I speak to insist that he'll be worth every penny. If you ask the sporting director of any top club to design their ideal center half, Gaddy wouldn't be far off that prototype. He's a well-rounded, athletically formidable defender ready to leave his mark on the league. It's probably why he's played in the club World Cup, Champions League, and Europa League during that two-year stint in Salsburg. I will say though, Gadu can be a little bit heavy-handed at times and has picked up his fair share of red cards, which you know is not ideal. Most recently, he was sent off playing for France's under 21s when he attempted to dribble past an attacker, didn't have the speed to get beyond him, and his last man ended up dragging his opponent to the floor. But he's 19 and it was in an under 21s game. It's a good [music] place to learn that lesson. Most of the time, he's a picture of controlled aggression, something he'll need more and more the higher he goes. In addition to the players I've already spoken about and covered in depth, I think it's also worth mentioning the likes of Matthew Alber who is just 17 and made his United States men's national team debut over the last international break. There's also Italy international Philippet and summer signing Kawa Prates aged just 21 and 18 respectively. And as well the really exciting Giannis Constantellius, another Greek player who unfortunately did his ACL on his first Dortmund start after joining in the summer. The only thing stopping them, same as before, Bayern. In 201213, Dortmund finished Champions League runners up to Bayern, German Super Cup runners up to Bayern, Bundesliga runners up to Bayern, and were knocked out of the DFB pock by, you get the picture. And it's not only on the pitch where Bayern were a spectre of the feast. How many players of that Dortmund team ended up at the perennial Bundesliga champs? Hummels, Leandowski, Gzer to name a few. Others were tempted by big money elsewhere. And with the Premier League effectively operating as the Super League, especially in financial terms, I think Dortmund will struggle to hold on to everyone as long as they did last time. But who knows? It's not quite the perfect storm of 201213 that saw Dortmund reach the Champions League final, but think about it. What happens if four or five of these players that I've mentioned all come of age at the same time? That's half a starting 11 of early to mid 20somes hitting their strides simultaneously. And how is that not the same as the days when Dortmund first emerged as football's culture club? Remember to hit like and subscribe for more young player focused football content on this channel so you can stay ahead of the curve and say you knew about them before they joined the big leagues. It's always a nice feeling. That's all from me for now. See you next time.