10 stats that prove Borussia Dortmund are Europe’s coolest team again

in , , , , , , ,

Borussia Dortmund, arguably every neutral’s favourite German team, are back and they’re doing things in style.

During the Jurgen Klopp glory days between 2008 and 2015, the BVB took the footballing world by storm, winning two Bundesliga titles, a DFB-Pokal and reaching a Champions League final – the likes of Mario Gotze, Marco Reus, Robert Lewandowski and Mats Hummels formed a side that was a sight to behold.

In the years that followed, much of Dortmund’s star talent left, often to Bayern Munich, and Klopp moved on to Liverpool. Now, however, under the guidance of Lucien Favre, Dortmund have their mojo back and are destroying everything that Germany and Europe have to offer.

Here are 10 incredible stats that prove Borussia Dortmund are Europe’s coolest team again.

1. Invincible

After eight games, there is only one unbeaten side left in the Bundesliga. That side, of course, is Borussia Dortmund.

Die Borussen have won six and drawn two of their domestic league games so far and are four points clear of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga table. Favre’s side have won all three of their Champions League group games too – a 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in their last game is an incredible result considering the defensive pedigree of Deigo Simeone’s side.

2. Goals galore

Stop it, Dortmund! 27 goals from their opening eight Bundesliga games represents the most prolific start to a league campaign in Borussia Dortmund’s history and makes them the highest scorers in the division so far this season.

The likes of Paco Alacer and Jadon Sancho have added new dimensions to the BVB attack, perfectly complementing the outstanding talents of Marco Reus. Keep ’em coming…

3. Paco is packing a punch

Have you seen that Skittles advert where everything they touch turns to sweets? Well, take that and imagine it is Paco Alacer with a football. Everything the Spaniard touches at the moment turns into a goal.

Alacer has managed seven shots on target from his four Bundesliga games so far, with every single on finding the back of the net. Moreover, the 25-year-old has only been on the pitch for 127 Bundesliga minutes, giving him a goal every 18.14 minutes.

4. Cold as ice

It isn’t just Paco Alacer scoring with every football that crosses his path at the moment. Borussia Dortmund’s 59.5% shott accuracy and 25% conversion rate are both the highest in Europe.

They’re sticking them away with unerring accuracy and, at this rate, will soon have teams frightened to leave their own box for fear of giving Dortmund a chance to score.

5. Catch ’em if you can

No team in Europe’s top five divisions has more league goals (four) on the fast-break this season than Borussia Dortmund, further enhancing the fear that opposition sides will be harbouring upon facing this goalscoring machine.

With the pace of Jadon Sancho and Christian Pulisic in the side, backed up by the craft and clinical edge of Marco Reus and Paco Alacer, it isn’t hard to see why Dortmund hold this particular record.

6. The Bundesliga pass master

If Jorginho is the Premier League’s current pass master, Manuel Akanji is the Bundesliga equivalent.

The Swiss international has completed 494 passes in the Bundesliga this season, with a league 94.3% accuracy rate. The 23-year-old looks totally assured on the ball as he sets up Dortmund attacks, all the more impressive when you consider he is a centre-back.

7. Golden Boy

All the Borussia Dortmund talk, and indeed the England talk, has been about Jadon Sancho recently.

The 18-year-old is slicing through defences like a knife through butter and his six Bundesliga assists this season is a league high so far. The former Manchester City youngster has also managed to create 15 chances in 305 minutes of Bundesliga football, earning him a senior England debut against Croatia recently.

8. Made for the big stage

In tandem with his fine domestic form, Sancho has also been finding his feet on the European stage.  Sancho’s first Champions League goal against Atletico Madrid recently, at the age of 18 years and 212 days old, made him the second youngest English player to score a goal in the competition since its rebrand.

It also made Sancho just the fifth English 18-year-old to score in the competition during the Champions League era, alongside Wayne Rooney, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere – quite a list.

9. Moving the immovable object

Dortmund’s 4-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid means they are the first team to score four or more goals within 90 minutes against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

Incidentally, the last time Atleti ‘keeper Jan Oblak conceded four goals within 90 minutes before facing the BVB was a 4-0 defeat to Porto in the Taça da Liga for Rio Ave in April 2013, also on a Wednesday, 2,030 days previous.

Many world-class sides have faced Simeone’s men in the past and come away completely frustrated by a team that was just born to keep clean sheets. Dortmund didn’t seem to care about that one iota.

10. Access all areas

It isn’t just Dortmund’s attackers that are getting in on the creative act. Their defenders are joining in the fun, too.

Only two players have recorded a hat-trick of assists in the Champions League this season; both are full-backs and one of them is Dortmund’s very own Achraf Hakimi – with the other being Barcelona’s Jordi Alba – esteemed company for Mr. Hakimi.

This also makes Hakimi the youngest player to record three or more assists in a single Champions League game post-2003/04 since Ousmane Dembele managed the same feat against Legia Warsaw in November 2016 – also for Borussia Dortmund.

Win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich

We are eight games into what could be the most competitive Bundesliga season in years.

Bayern Munich lag behind in fourth. The league leaders they trail by four points? Borussia Dortmund, who have scored 27 goals in eight matches so far this season and are looking like Europe’s must-watch team once again.

All of which means the next Der Klassiker clash between Germany’s two biggest teams, which takes place on 10 November, is shaping up to be perhaps the most significant since Jurgen Klopp left Dortmund.

And you could be there.

Having teamed up with FootballBreak and William Hill, Squawka is offering readers the chance to win a package covering flights, accommodation and two tickets to next month’s Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich game.

To enter, all you need to do is like, share and comment on this post by the competition deadline of Saturday 27 October, 3 PM, with the winners announced the following Tuesday (30/10/2018).

Please note, the competition is open only to UK and Republic of Ireland residents aged 18 or over. No data will be stored or used for promotional reasons.

Improve your chances by signing up with William Hill

PLEASE NOTE: This competition was updated on 24/10/2018 at 13:00. Previous entrants who signed up to Leo Vegas will still be considered valid.

TRIPLE CHANCE: Sign up to William Hill HERE and place a £10 bet to triple your chance of winning tickets to the match. Ts&Cs apply. 18+ UK only. BeGambleAware.org

Entrants could treble their chances of winning if they sign up for an account with William Hill.

For one entry: share, comment and like the post above on the social platform of your choice.

For three entries: sign up to William Hill and place a £10 bet*. Then send a screenshot as proof of sign-up with your username visible along with your preferred social media handle to info@squawka.com.

*New online customers only, min stake £10, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3x £10, 30 day expiry, free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. 18+ Only. Full Terms & Conditions Apply. BeGambleAware.org

More about FootballBreak

“Through FootballBreak, fans can quickly draw up a complete trip to their favourite overseas club. The flight, ticket and overnight stay are all included in the package. Countless flights across all known airlines are on offer, as well as more than a hundred available hotels per destination and, of course, a fantastic selection of seating categories. FootballBreak offers football breaks to all overseas top European competitions, including the Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, German Bundesliga and French Ligue 1. Thousands of European football fans travel with FootballBreak, many of whom are steadfast customers who travel with us every year, or even more than once a year. You can find out more at www.footballbreak.co.uk or on Facebook.”

The post 10 stats that prove Borussia Dortmund are Europe’s coolest team again appeared first on Squawka News.



From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2z7k6A9
Labels: , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)