Dortmund impress on Jose visit

15Apr 2013

Bajnokok Ligája

Borussia Dortmund put in a complete performance in front of of Jose Mourinho to give the Real Madrid boss something to ponder ahead of their Champions League tie. But will it help him, asks Ben Lyttleton in his Monday review of the European action

When Jose Mourinho went to watch Champions League semi-final opponents Borussia Dortmund take on Bundesliga bottom side Greuther Furth on Saturday, it was covered like some kind of state visit.

Bild newspaper breathlessly reported that the former Chelsea boss arrived at the stadium at 15:06 and, accompanied by his assistant Jose Morais, took his seat in the stands at 15:29. He made no notes and played with his phone - which means the person who was on Jose-watch missed one of the most complete performances of the season from any side.

Dortmund were 5-0 up at half-time, at which point their chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke chatted with Mourinho. Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp compared the performance to art and centre-back Mats Hummels laughed at the idea that Mourinho would have learned anything at all: "There are not many conclusions he could have drawn from the game."

Dortmund are 2.82 to win the home first leg, with Madrid 2.66. The German side are 2.84 to reach the final, with Madrid 1.48.

Klopp made four changes to the team that beat Malaga in injury-time on Tuesday night: there was no place for the injured Marco Reus, while Marcel Schmelzer, Lars Bender and Neven Subotic were all rested. In their place came Nuri Sahin, Sebastien Kehl, Hummels and Kevin Grosskreutz. But this was a mixed-up Dortmund selection, as if designed to confuse both Mourinho and Greuther Furth. Ilkay Gundogan, normally one of the two deep-lying midfielders, was playing at number ten, and scored twice; Mario Gotze, who also scored twice, was out on the left wing; while Grosskreutz started at left-back.

Mourinho ended up leaving before Robert Lewandowski scored the final goal in the 6-1 win: it was the Pole's 11th consecutive scoring game, drawing him one game away from Gerd Muller's run of 12 games. Klopp put it best when he said after the game: "Mourinho didn't need to come today to see that Götze can play on the left as well. He left after 5-0 and didn't see our weaknesses. He will go home with some intelligence which he will not be able to use at all in two weeks."

Klopp did reveal some intel on his team earlier this season, though. When he spoke to El Pais after Dortmund had beaten Madrid 2-1 in their Champions League group tie, he said: "We were more cautious against Madrid because we knew they struggle with the ball. We knew they like to send passes to Cristiano Ronaldo, so our plan consisted of covering Xabi Alonso, which Götze did. If you block Xabi, Pepe is forced to always have the ball, and that makes a difference."

Mourinho would have learnt one thing: that it's rubbish that Dortmund doesn't have the depth of the squad of Madrid or indeed Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, who brushed aside Nuremburg 4-0 with a weakened side.

Bayern's star man was Xherdan Shaqiri, who scored the final goal to make it six goals and ten assists in just 14 starts this season. Bayern looked impressive as they prepared for their European semi-final against Barcelona, with Claudio Pizarro playing behind Mario Gomez, with one of the pair set to replace the suspended Mario Mandzukic. Reserve goalkeeper Tom Starke saved a penalty while Pierre Hojbjerg became Bayern's youngest ever Bundesliga debutant.

And though the two German rivals didn't get drawn to play each other in Europe, if they do meet in the final, which is a 5.0 price, it could be incendiary. On Saturday, Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge responded to Klopp's suggestion that "I will bet my ass that someone speaks to (future Bayern boss) Pep (Guardiola) before they play Bayern". Rummenigge, referring to Klopp's hair transplant, which he only admitted to having undergone on Friday, said: "He should have bet a few more hairs, which could then be transplanted. With the ass, that is difficult."

While this verbal sparring is hardly hair-raising (sorry), next season Klopp will have provide sterner competition to Guardiola's Bayern in the league, where there is a current 20-point gap between top and bottom. For now, though, both German sides are just biding time until the semi-finals come round.