Borussia Dortmund is currently the Bundesliga leader, the Bavarians are two points behind. After the Dortmund team beat Hertha BSC 2:2, BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke (59) was a guest at the “Aktuellen Sportstudio” on Saturday evening. In the “ZDF” show, the 56-year-old talked about the championship chances of the Dortmund team: “I don’t have the impression that they (the Bavarians, editor’s note) are weakening. They have now won away three times in a row. When Bayern Munich plays a top season, you don’t stand a chance,” Watzke explains, adding: “But you already have the feeling that it’s a little more difficult at the moment.”
Watzke praises the level of the league. “Maybe a lot of teams are stronger this year, too. I think that we are stronger than last year and I also have the impression that teams like Werder Bremen and Hertha BSC Berlin have developed,” says Watzke.
Dortmund is at the top after nine match days. The team of coach Lucien Favre could cheer six victories in the league so far and has not lost a game yet. Also in the Champions League it looks very good with three successes so far. The team seems to have found each other. Watzke does not fear a slump, as he did last season under Peter Bosz. At that time, the Dortmund team crashed to eighth place in the Bundesliga after a good start.
Lucien Favre Honours
Player
- 1985: Swiss champion with Servette
Manager
- 1994: Promotion to Nationalliga B (Echallens)
- 1999: Promotion to Nationalliga A (Yverdon Sport)
- 2001: Swiss Cup winner (Servette)
- 2005: Swiss Cup winner (Zürich)
- 2006 and 2007: Swiss Super League winner (Zürich)
- 2006 and 2007: Manager of the year (Switzerland)
- 2011: Sport1 television channel manager of the year (Germany)
- 2012: VDV players’ union manager of the 2011/2012 season (Germany)
- 2013: Kicker sports magazine player poll manager of the first half of the 2013/2014 season (Germany)
- 2015: Kicker sports magazine player poll manager of the 2014/2015 season (Germany)
“Last year cannot be compared to this one. That was another phase. The team is more stable, also because we are more stable in the centre. With Axel Witsel and Thomas Delaney, we have players who have been clarified and can set the pace.”
Paco Alcacer is another newcomer who has made a significant contribution to the upswing. The 25-year-old centre forward is on loan from FC Barcelona until the end of the season. Alcacer has already scored eight goals in five competitive games. Watzke says in the “Sportstudio” that BVB have not yet drawn the purchase option, “but there’s not much to be said against us drawing it either. We have it in our hands ourselves. It won’t take until June.”
Meanwhile, Watzke did not want to comment further on the much-discussed press conference of the bosses of FC Bayern Munich: “I only saw a few excerpts. I won’t evaluate that either,” Watzke continues: “I was on the plane, and when I landed, I had 150 SMS on my mobile phone. I thought something serious had happened.”
Hoeneß and Rummenigge had complained at the press conference about the proportionality and tone of the reporting on the Bavarian crisis and thus set a discussion in motion. “I have the impression that this PK has somehow developed a dynamic that was not initially intended,” said Watzke. CampeonBet is very generous in giving out great offers.
“We all have to live with the fact that we have to put up with criticism, especially if it is justified. But the gaps between criticisms have become shorter today. There has also been a disinhibition. It is becoming more and more aggressive, especially in the social networks. There it goes today already more to the thing.”