Why Dortmund can never catch Bayern Munich
Dortmund may blame deeper pockets in Munich on their struggles in "Der Klassiker", but that's only half the story behind the club's inability to offer up a serious threat to Bayern's dominance.
Bayern Munich have a remarkably impressive knack for raining on Borussia Dortmund’s parade. Edin Terzic’s side have lost just two league games in 2023 and you can surely guess which club has shown up on each occasion to ensure the Black and Yellows don’t harbour any lofty ambitions above their station in German football. If there’s one thing the Munich club does better than just about anything else, it’s pulling out the old yard stick and carefully illustrating just how far Dortmund have to go before they can reach success.
This was evident for all to see on Saturday. Not only did Bayern win the game, but they did so by expertly picking Dortmund apart time and time again. This wasn’t a match won by a single act of brilliance or a solo performance from a bona fide star; it was a non-contest between 11 players that far surpassed the men standing opposite them on the pitch. Dortmund, again, were not only left to comprehend another clash without victory against Bayern but were also forced to contend with the numerous, gaping holes Thomas Tuchel’s side poked in their hopes of being included among the serious contenders for this season’s league title.
However, while there are pages and pages of accountancy sheets that point to the financial chasm between the two clubs, that only goes part of the way to explaining why Dortmund struggle to keep pace with their Munich rivals. And when we really dig into the numbers behind the numbers, we see two contrasting clubs very clearly: one making the most of their deep pockets and another squandering the money they do have.
If you’re interested in looking into Dortmund’s finances and how they compare to Bayern’s books, I can’t recommend enough the recent deep dive the
did on the Westfalenstadion side. It not only illustrates that the Munich club’s last published accounts point to a business that made €297m more than Dortmund in the 2022/23 season but also goes into more detail as to how Bayern do exactly that. It’s necessary reading for any Bundesliga fan.Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
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