By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The current fairytale that is Borussia Dortmund contains everything football has ever dreamed of: a young, promising team, enthusiastic and enjoyable high-speed football, along with performances that are a pleasant surprise to observers.
This tunrarond begs the question: what is the reason behind the current success at Borussia Dortmund?
Swiss coach Lucien Favre has put together a squad that offers him endless options without ever risking a drop in performance levels.
Talented youngsters like the Real Madrid on-loan striker Achraf Hakimi, former Manchester City talent Jadon Sancho, the Dane Jacob Brunn Larsen, U.S. star Christian Pulisic and the youngsters in defense, Abdou Diallo and Dan-Axel Zagadou, who was signed from Paris Saint-Germain, are part of the upturn in fortunes.
They all fit perfectly into the frame provided by more experienced players like the former Chinese Super League pro Axel Witsel, Dane Thomas Delany and German international Marco Reus.
Part of the fairytale is Mario Goetze, who has returned to the stage after having to go through hard times over the last few years. It speaks for the side's sensitivity to support the former wunderkind's efforts to find his way back.
Most importantly, the team is not getting ahead of itself. They are keeping their feet on the ground whereby team captain Marco Reus is doing a great job.
"The youngsters are allowed to celebrate as the fans are. The experienced ones will help them to get their feet back on the ground afterwards," Reus commented.
"We had to suffer a lot against one of the very best European teams and run our hearts out. Luck was on our side when Atletico hit the post twice. We can play football, but we are far from perfect," Reus added.
Virtually no other team in Europe addresses the demands of modern football better than Borussia, who develop incredible power and speed in their attacking game -- all based on a solid defense. Favre has managed to create a healthy hierarchy with Reus as the team's leader.
Many of the outstanding talents that general manager Michael Zorc has signed from Europe's top clubs are taking the chance to assert themselves after achieving no breakthroughs in their previous teams.
Coach Favre is said to be obsessed with details and Zorc said the coach is one "who follows a strict plan with a well-structured team but demanding the courage to make one's own decisions on the pitch."
"We beat a great team. But (are we) perfect? No, we're far from perfect. A lot of hard work goes into such a game and one can never allow oneself to become satisfied," concluded Favre.
