The U19s from Bundesliga soccer club Borussia Dortmund have been one of the strongest German junior teams for years. But BVB wants to reform the Bundesliga West oasis of well-being – in order to have to reach the limits of performance more often.
The BVB U19s around coach Mike Tullberg are rushing from success to success in the domestic league. In the current season, the young black and yellow are in first place after nine games unbeaten. The closest pursuer Bayer Leverkusen is now seven points behind after Dortmund’s 3-1 victory in the top game.
Borussia Dortmund also recently celebrated an important victory in an international comparison. In the UEFA Youth League playoff duel, the Tullberg team beat Italian champions Empoli FC 5-3 (2-2) and are now in the round of 16.
That success prompted those responsible at BVB once again to focus on national reforms. The tenor: The Dortmund juniors, who have won three of the last four championship titles in the U19s, are underchallenged at national level.
BVB: Internationally inferior to the youngsters of the top clubs
“This intense and great game showed why the UEFA Youth League is so important for the club and the development of our talents. The boys had to push their limits and show their resilience after going behind,” explained BVB junior director Lars Ricken.
After the game, the Revierklub also emphasized that they ultimately “benefited” from the “first endurance test in the Bundesliga”, i.e. the previous game against Bayer Leverkusen. It goes on to say: “Also because they are clearly superior to some opponents in the national arena and their performance is only put to the test in the few top games, the youngsters of the top clubs no longer meet the highest international standards.”
For Borussia, reaching the round of 16 in the Youth League is by no means a matter of course. This is only the second time that a BVB U19 has made it that far in the Junior Champions League. Dortmund is the only remaining German representative in the competition.
Dortmund has therefore long been hoping for a reform of the U19 championship, the division into three regional relays should be a thing of the past. The reform plan of the DFB, that in the future only the youth academies of the 36 Bundesliga clubs will initially compete against each other regionally and nationwide in the second half of the season, finds “little approval, especially in the amateur camp,” according to BVB.