Borussia Dortmund’s head coach Juergen Klopp signs autographs during his team’s training session at the training camp of the German Bundesliga side in Brixen im Thale, Austria, on Saturday. (EPA)
AFP/Berlin
Coach Jurgen Klopp has described Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund as the ‘Robin Hood’ characters of the Bundesliga, up against all-conquering champions Bayern Munich.
Dortmund enjoyed a 9-1 win a home in a charity friendly against a team of celebrities on Saturday and play European champions Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup on July 27.
Bayern swept aside all-comers last season, becoming the first German team to win the treble of European, league and cup titles and beat Dortmund 2-1 in the Champions League final.
While Bayern have brought in ex-Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola as head coach and signed Dortmund’s Germany star Mario Goetze, Klopp says Borussia will put up a fight.
He used the analogy of Dortmund playing the role of heroic mythical English outlaw Robin Hood role in their battle with Bayern, in the role of his powerful nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham.
“We have a bow and arrow and if we aim accurately, we can hit our target,” Klopp told yesterday’s edition of daily Die Welt.
“It feels like Bayern have a bazooka and the possibility that they will hit their targets has clearly grown, but nevertheless, Robin Hood had some success.”
Klopp said, based on current form, the Bundesliga title would not be taken from Bayern next season, “but that has never stopped us in the last few years from at least trying”.
Dortmund won back-to-back German league titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12, leaving Bayern without any silverware for consecutive seasons.
Having started pre-season training with his team last week, Klopp has observed a “certain strength and greed” in the Dortmund ranks having won nothing last season. Borussia have strengthened their squad with Gabon’s attacking all-rounder Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from St Etienne and Greece defender Sokratis from Werder Bremen.
Armenian attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also expected to sign from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Despite Goetze’s transfer to Bayern, Dortmund captain Sebastian Kehl has said he is “not worried the team could be a worse than last season”.
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski was back in training yesterday, following his honeymoon, having made it clear he wants to leave Dortmund, with Bayern widely reported to be his next club.
“Up to a certain point, we were ready to talk, as far as Robert’s desire for change is concerned, but nothing happened in that time,” said Klopp with Lewandowski under contract until June 2014.
“You get to the point where you say enough is enough.
“Now we want to prove that a quality player like Robert can successfully achieve in the coming year.”
Gabonese international Aubameyang, who joined Dortmund from Saint Etienne, agreed with his new team-mate. “Dortmund is big team. I hope that I can develop as a player.”
The only player still missing from training is Australian goalkeeper Mitch Langerak, but Dortmund is still planing to sign another player.
The club is close to signing Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk for an estimated fee of 25 million euros (32 million dollars). Dortmund are hoping that the 25-year-old midfielder will fill the gap left by the departure of German international Mario Goetze.
If the Bundesliga club sign the Armenian, they will have spent some 46 million euros for new players, prompting Klopp to look optimistically towards the new season.
“Possibly we can also draw some strength and eagerness from the fact that we did not win anything last season.”