Dortmund Blow it on the Final Matchday, Lose the League

Ah.

That’s it, then. If you’re reading this, then Bayern Munich are Bundesliga champions, and Borussia Dortmund have finished second place. Again. All they needed to do was beat Mainz over the course of 90 minutes, but in a season filled with ups and downs of heartbreak, glory, and everything in between, Bo Svensson’s Mainz proved to be one bridge too far.

The worst part is that this could have been Dortmund’s best chance at a Bundesliga for a long time. Bayern Munich don’t slip up often, and the last decade is a testament to that fact. They might be in troubled waters now, but it’s entirely possible that they steer their way through and get right back to dominating the league next season.

It sucks now, and frankly nothing I write will change that fact, and no amount of fond memories from this season will give it a taste of anything other than disappointment, but I still believe that this season showed that the future of the club is bright, especially in the Spring of 2023, when Dortmund were the best team in the league by a country mile. Karim Adeyemi, Donyell Malen, and Sebastian Haller could be a front three that could compete with almost anyone in Europe. The back line is staying in tact. While Jude Bellingham is probably gone, the club will be flushed with cash, and Sebastian Kehl has demonstrated that he’s capable of spending money smartly.

Last September, if you had told me that Dortmund would be even within 7 points of Bayern Munich on the final match day, I would have been ecstatic. That’s a testament to how well we’ve played, that our expectations changed so much, and it’s also a testament to how much things can change over the course of a year. Who knows, maybe Bayern won’t be able to figure out their struggles?

Regardless, the season is over, and a busy summer lies ahead for Sebastian Kehl. We go again.