Borussia Dortmund, last season’s surprise finalists in the Champions League, have gone through significant changes both on and off the field as they prepare for their opening match against Club Brugge on Wednesday.While Dortmund’s remarkable journey to the final, where they dominated for stretches but ultimately lost 2-0 to Real Madrid, captured attention, it overshadowed a disappointing domestic campaign. The club finished fifth in the Bundesliga, trailing champions Bayer Leverkusen by a staggering 27 points.What stung even more for Dortmund was that Leverkusen, their local rivals with a much smaller budget, ended Bayern Munich’s 11-year reign as Bundesliga champions. In response, Dortmund’s leadership initiated a comprehensive rebuild over the summer, making several key changes.One of the most notable shifts was the departure of Dortmund-born coach Edin Terzic, along with several long-serving players. Despite taking the team to within 90 minutes of a Bundesliga title in 2023 and their unexpected Champions League run, Terzic was let go as part of the club’s fresh approach.Kompany: My father came as a refugee to Belgium – why should I not believe in myself!? Kane: We wanted to score 11 goals!Stepping in to replace him is former Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin, who also had stints at Real Madrid and Liverpool. Sahin, a product of Dortmund’s youth system, is expected to bring a new perspective to the club’s ambitions.Additionally, Niclas Fullkrug, Jadon Sancho (who was on loan), Ian Maatsen, Marco Reus, and Mats Hummels all moved on. In their place, Dortmund turned to local connections once again by appointing former player Lars Ricken, known for scoring the winning goal in the 1997 Champions League final, as head of the sporting department.Ricken now works alongside sporting director Sebastian Kehl, another Dortmund veteran with 362 appearances and three Bundesliga titles under his belt, and scout Sven Mislintat, known for identifying some of Dortmund’s biggest stars in the past, who has also returned to the club.On the player front, Dortmund brought in Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy and Germany defender Waldemar Anton from Stuttgart, while also signing German internationals Maximilian Beier and Pascal Gross.”We analysed the situation well and acted accordingly. Sometimes you have to seize the moment,” Kehl told reporters last week.”We reduced the squad size to give young players more space.””Here’s the chocolate, it’s from Brugge. Thats in Belgium.” 🍫 pic.twitter.com/wTak368XZr— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 17, 2024 Guirassy’s arrival, after scoring 28 goals in 28 Bundesliga matches last season, led to the departure of fan favorite Fullkrug, who transferred to Premier League side West Ham. Kehl explained that Fullkrug had started rethinking his role after Guirassy’s signing, noting, “A better opportunity came up in England, and in the end, it worked out for everyone. There are no hard feelings.”Dortmund has long aimed to emulate the leadership structure of their rivals Bayern Munich, with CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke often making statements reminiscent of former Bayern president Uli Hoeness. Kehl’s appointment under Ricken mirrors Bayern’s setup, where Max Eberl, the board member for sport, oversees sporting director Christoph Freund.”As a big club, Borussia Dortmund need alpha personalities,” Kehl said.”Over the years, there have always been strong figures in these roles. Big clubs need to be led that way.”It’s a new set-up, and there were some changes in the summer. Within this structure, we did very good work over the summer.”##EDITORS_CHOICE##Dortmund has started the Bundesliga season well, earning seven points from their first three matches. Under Terzic, the team relied heavily on counter-attacking football, but their 4-2 victory over Heidenheim last Friday suggests that Sahin’s possession-based approach is starting to take hold.The upcoming Champions League fixture against Belgian champions Club Brugge will be their first major European test of the season. While domestic success remains Dortmund’s primary focus, their Champions League run last season generated the club’s highest-ever annual revenue – critical for a team that relies heavily on European income to stay competitive on multiple fronts.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 1TuesdayJuventus – PSV 3-1 (2-0)/Yildiz 21, McKennie 27, Gonzales 52 – Saibari 90+3/Young Boys – Aston Villa 0-3 (0-2)/Tielemans 27, Ramsey 38, Onana 85/AC Milan – Liverpool 1-3 (1-2)/Pulisic 3 – Konate 23, van Dijk 41, Szoboszlai 67/Bayern – Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 (3-0)/Kane 19 pen, 58, 63 pen, 78 pen Guerreiro 33, Olise 38, 61, Sane 85, Goretzka 90+2 – Petkovic 49, Ogiwara 50/Real Madrid – Stuttgart 3-1 (0-0)/Mbappe 46, Rudiger 83, Endrick 90+5 – Undav 68/Sporting – Lille 2-0 (1-0)/Gyokeres 38, Debast 65/Wednesday19:45: (1.95) Bologna (3.60) Shakhtar (4.30)19:45: (2.45) Sparta Praha (3.40) Salzburg (2.85)22:00: (1.37) Celtic (5.20) Slovan B. (10.0)22:00: (3.80) Club Brugge (3.50) Dortmund (2.10)22:00: (1.55) Man.City (4.10) Inter (6.00)22:00: (1.42) PSG (4.60) Girona (7.50)Thursday19:45: (4.20) Crvena Zvezda (3.60) Benfica (1.95)19:45: (4.40) Feyenoord (3.70) Leverkusen (1.80)22:00: (4.10) Atalanta (3.50) Arsenal (1.90)22:00: (1.80) Atl.Madrid (3.60) RB Leipzig (4.60)22:00: (1.90) Brest (3.60) Sturm (4.50)22:00: (4.60) Monaco (3.60) Barcelona (1.80)***odds are subject to change***
