FAVRE OUT OF FAVOUR

         It appears every few weeks Lucien Favre’s future in the Bundesliga is prodded by the media. The 63-year-old Swiss’ career at Dortmund may well be the most intriguing soap opera in Germany at the moment. Favre’s topsy-turvy tenure is always revived just as serious repercussions appear to be on the horizon. At least once a month the media speculate who shall be handed the keys when, ‘inevitably’, Favre is out of favour in Dortmund. As agonisingly inconsistent as BVB have been since Favre took over, the future of this side and potentially the German game could be in debt to the Dortmund head coach. Favre has carried the baton for a club built on the belief of nurturing youth.

For years Borussia Dortmund have set the benchmark when it comes to allocating minutes to the next generation. Peter Bosz, now of Bayer Leverkusen, can claim credit for unleashing Englishman Jadon Sancho into the Bundesliga world, a debutant at just 17-years of age. His predecessor, Thomas Tuchel (now manager of PSG), has bragging rights over Christian Pulisic’s development into one of the most promising up-and-coming players in world football, handing the American his debut, also at 17. Pressure doesn’t even begin to touch the surface on how Lucien Favre must have felt entering his new role as manager of Borussia Dortmund. Thankfully for the ex-Gladbach and Hertha coach, a couple of hidden gems within the youth set-up and a not so hidden machine setting the Champions League on fire would soon pull on the famous yellow and black jersey. Just how influential a say Lucien Favre has in Dortmund’s transfer market or how many minutes are donated to teenagers, it’s not clear. With youth development a major element at this club, as seen since the Klopp days, can Favre take full credit for the inclusion of Giovanni Reyna, Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham or record-breaking Youssoufa Moukoko?

Gio Reyna and Youssoufa Moukoko are both products of the dependable Dortmund academy. American playmaker Reyna saw action sporadically off the bench last season and continues to showcase why he is the latest Bundesliga star to entice clubs across Europe. Whilst Youssoufa Moukoko has climbed the ranks of Dortmund’s youth system at an unprecedented pace, bagging thirty goals for the under-17’s in seventeen games at just fourteen years old. Even Erling Haaland humbly stated ‘Youssoufa Moukoko is much better than I was at his age. I have never seen such a good 15-year old in my life.’ This quote coming prior to the youngster’s 16^th birthday which made him eligible to compete in the Bundesliga. One day after eligibility, Moukoko came off the bench at the Olympiastadion to become the youngster debutant in Bundesliga history.

Favre’s continuation of the youth policy in Dortmund has pleased the hierarchy at the club but his results are a different kettle of fish. A fifteen-game unbeaten run kickstarted his rein in North Rhine-Westphalia before the drama proceeded. Defeats at home to Fortuna Dusseldorf and Augsburg cancelled out hard earned victories over powerhouses Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich during the Swiss manager’s opening six months. Despite trailing Der Klassiker rivals Bayern Munich by just two points at the conclusion of his debut season, Favre’s humiliating 5-0 defeat at the Allianz Arena and a 4-2 derby-day loss at home to Schalke with the end of the campaign in sight were deemed disastrous in the eyes of the Yellow Wall. Borussia Dortmund’s struggles against lower opposition have tarnished Favre’s reputation. Of his fourteen defeats in league play, seven have come against sides deemed ‘relegation candidates’. Away losses against Fortuna Dusseldorf and Augsburg (both who finished in the bottom half of the table) during Lucien Favre’s maiden campaign set the tone for his career at the Westfalenstadion. Last term, in his second season, Favre’s Dortmund suffered a 3-1 defeat at newly promoted Union Berlin in the opening weeks. As the season drew to a close following the covid-19 disruption, Dortmund endured perhaps a more embarrassing loss at home to Mainz, a result that subsequently steered the visitors to safety. Heading into last weekend, Köln travelled to the Westfalenstadion on an unwanted club-record 18 winless outings. A run that, of course, had to end at Lucien Favre’s expense. Some dubious defending and an uncharacteristic Erling Haaland sitter moments before the final whistle resulted in Dortmund’s second defeat of the year just nine weeks in.

Lucien Favre has laid the foundations for a side worthy of a title challenge, and his contribution shouldn’t go unnoticed. However, with the inconsistent results piling up and RB Leipzig breathing down their necks, you could argue Dortmund are heading in the wrong direction under Favre’s leadership. One of the names mentioned as a possible replacement for the Swiss manager is former Leipzig manager and head of sport and development at the Red Bull Group, Ralf Rangnick. Rangnick was also said to be in contention for the German National Team post should Joachim Löw be given his marching orders. The DFB’s decision to retain Löw may have infuriated the general public, with 90% of the votes in a Sky Deutschland poll opposed to keeping the German coach, but it might turn out to be a beneficial one on Dortmund’s behalf. Rangnick was the overwhelming favourite to take over from Löw largely due to his terrific attitude with youth, a quality believed to be a necessity when scouting a Borussia Dortmund manager. Branches off the Rangnick coaching tree include Jürgen Klopp, Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel, all of whom have exerted their fast paced, youth heavy, attacking football at some of Europe’s largest clubs in recent years. Rangnick is the Godfather of German football, moulding younger managers to play the attractive counter-attacking style which he pioneered at Hoffenheim for years then again in Leipzig. As appealing as Ralf Rangnick may be given his history, there is a slight reluctance amongst the Dortmund faithful to hire someone from the Red Bull backdrop. As one of the largest and well supported sides in the country, Borussia Dortmund have joined countless others in their objection to the RB Leipzig project. Leipzig’s rise to the top has been deemed a direct violation of the 50+1 rule the Bundesliga has installed to prevent such money driven uprises as that of Manchester City in England. It wouldn’t be a complete contradiction to their morals if they were to hire Rangnick as his history within the Red Bull organisation is only a brief spell in his lengthy career in football but it should be noted nonetheless that this may be a factor. Sticking with the Red Bull theme two other names have been thrown into contention. No longer an official member of the Red Bull consortium but a previous manager of RB Salzburg, Marco Rose is considered a very possible solution for BVB. Someone besides the thousands of loyal Dortmund supporters visualising a Marco Rose appointment will be star striker Erling Haaland who was signed by Rose in January of last year and given his first taste of Champions League football by the now Gladbach head coach. Rose’s spell in Austria was a highly successful one, an Austrian Bundesliga title in both his years as Salzburg manager and an Austrian Cup to go along with it, it’s no wonder Gladbach came calling. Marco Rose is contracted with Gladbach until Summer 2022, meaning if Dortmund are desperate for his signature it might involve a transfer fee for the 44-year-old. If there ever was a time for a manager to up and leave one of Germany’s top clubs for one of their top four rivals, it is surely now when the stands are bare from judging spectators. Under Rose’s attacking prowess Borussia Monchengladbach pipped Bayer Leverkusen to the final Champions League spot which they haven’t squandered, currently on the verge of qualification to the last sixteen. The way Gladbach’s attacking options rotate, Thuram, Stindl, Embolo, Plea, Hoffman, Herman etc could be replicated at Dortmund with arguably more promising outcomes. Jesse Marsch’s name has also reappeared in this discussion. Not as high profile a candidate, Jesse Marsch’s release clause would likely be far cheaper than that of Rose. Rose’s successor, Marsch, picked up the tools handed down to him and won a league and cup double in his debut season with RB Salzburg. The U.S. born Marsch is another product of the Red Bull group, having held positions within their New York, Leipzig and Salzburg sides. According to journalist Raphael Honigstein in his podcast Steilcast, Borussia Dortmund seldom seek a non-German speaking manager, they’ve yet to hire a manager outside of Europe. Based on this little statistic alone, former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino could already be ruled out before he’s had the chance to state his case. Pochettino teased a revolution at Spurs before he was surprisingly let go and replaced with Jose Mourinho. He is perhaps the most household name linked with the Borussia Dortmund position but doesn’t quite fit the criteria outlined by the German giants.

With a 1-1 draw at home to Lazio on Wednesday night Lucien Favre punched Dortmund’s ticket into the Champions League last sixteen for the third time in three years since taking over. In both his first and second years at Borussia Dortmund, Favre’s Champions League journey has come to an end in the last sixteen, both against eventual runner-ups. Spurs in 2018/19 and PSG in 2019/20. This is a prime example of the inconsistency developed under Favre’s rein. With an acceptable report card in Europe, it’s Dortmund’s league form which will most likely make or break Favre’s future in Germany. Candidates are mounting up for one of European football’s most appetising jobs, but for the time being the ball remains firmly in Lucien Favre’s court.