By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- 44 goals in 17 games, 13 victories, three draws and one defeat, the enchanting young side of Borussia Dortmund is the Bundesliga's team of the hour.
The first half of the season completed, there are few doubts left about who is going to win the 2018/2019 German championships.
This Friday evening the Blacks and Yellows passed a crucial stress-test beating the second seated Borussia Moenchengladbach by 2-1, setting a mark on their way to their next league title after winning national championship in 2012.
"What impresses me is that the team gave the right answer after their defeat against Duesseldorf last Tuesday. They have passed an important exam today," former German international and TV pundit Oliver Kahn commented.
Everything but the title would be a disappointment Kahn added. Dortmund has all qualities a title-winning team needs to have, the former German national keeper said, while the jubilation knew no bounds at the Westfalenstadion with over 80,000 fans cheering their heroes.
What makes the Westphalian club the current best side after Bayern Munich dominated German football over the past six years?
Dortmund made the best choices when selecting its squad. Sports director Michael Zorc is the Bundesliga's best buyer.
Youngsters like Abdou Diallo (22), Achraf Hakimi (20), Manuel Akanji (23), Dan-Axel Zagadou (19) and Jadon Sancho (18) stand for joyful football while experienced performers such as Marco Reus (29), former Chinese Super League player Axel Witsel (29), Thomas Delaney (27) and Mario Goetze (26) provide stability.
Dortmund is most effective when it comes to goal-scoring. 16 players scored the 44 goals (2.58 per game in average) with Paco Alcacer (12), Marco Reus (11) and Sancho (6/plus seven assists) at the top.
Nearly all squad members are at the same quality level. Coach Lucien Favre doesn't risk a quality loss when changing his team.
That is significantly affecting the team's performance. No other club can count on the same amount of goals (14/plus ten assists) scored by substitutes.
The cautious and at the same time demanding working patterns of coach Favre created an unbreakable team spirit. "Favre is always creating a perfect mixture," Kahn commented.
Reus developed into a true leader after he was appointed team captain. He is the man of the hour in German football.
Favre managed to reintegrate struggling Mario Goetze. The 2014 World Champion was seen as a problematic case as he returned after three disappointing years at Bayern Munich. After beating Moenchengladbach, Goetze praised the team's perfect atmosphere.
Club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and Zorc called the 61-year-old Swiss coach "the main reason for our success".
Dortmund's perfect first half of the season is giving confidence. So far players and officials refused to talk about winning the ninth title in the clubs' history. Now Reus admitted: "Everyone is playing football to win titles, so do we."
Reus praised the skills of his younger teammates such as Sancho. "If you want to survive in today's football, you need guys like Jadon. He is one of the best when it comes to man-to-man duels."
Is there anything that can make the Blacks and Yellows struggle?
Dieter Hecking said No. "They are the measure of all things and the big favourite," Moenchengladbach's coach emphasized.
