Bayern Munich have long standing accusations of playing in a ‘farmers league’, on account of them winning almost every single year (thanks to Bayer Leverkusen), but their performance generally extends to all competitions across Europe, making them one of the best in the world. It looks like Borussia Dortmund president Hans-Joachim Watzke thinks almost the same.
Watzke, in a recent interview captured by @iMiaSanMia offered a pragmatic assessment of the Bundesliga title race, identifying Bayern as “overwhelming
favourites” while pointing out the widening financial divide between Germany’s elite clubs.
“Well, you have to be honest: we had a good Bundesliga season last year and picked up 73 points. In the past, that would have been enough to win the title. Today, that’s no longer the case because FC Bayern dominate everything,” Watzke admitted. “At Borussia Dortmund, there’s only so much we can do to change that, because the gap between Germany’s top two clubs has become so vast economically. So we shouldn’t kid ourselves: Bayern Munich are overwhelming favourites.”
Watzke’s quite candid does point out the systemic challenge facing potential challengers in German football, even if as president he probably should not throw out all ambition before the season even gets going. Despite Dortmund posting strong domestic tallies that historically guaranteed silverware, the combination of FC Bayern’s continuous structural revenue advantages and squad depth sets an extraordinarily high benchmark for their rivals. Watzke framing FC Bayern as untouchable favourites places the full burden of title pressure firmly back on the Bavarians, but it also could ruin team morale for his own team.
Do you agree with Watzke that the economic gap makes a Dortmund title challenge unrealistic, or can BVB overcome the odds this season? Let us know in the comments!
