“I hope they’re annoyed”: BVB boss Ricken takes a dig at Bayern | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund has made an early statement in the Bundesliga title race. While FC Bayern dropped points for the first time last weekend in a 0-0 draw at Schalke, BVB has gotten off to a perfect start to the new season with three wins in its first three games.

With nine points, Dortmund currently sits in second place in the standings. SC Freiburg leads the table with the same number of points but holds the top spot due to a better goal differential. Bayern has collected only four points ahead of its away game against SV Elversberg, though it has played one fewer match.

With a win in the Saarland on Sunday evening, Munich could jump to third place and narrow the gap to BVB to two points again. However, Bayern can no longer overtake BVB on this matchday.

At BVB, the current situation is certainly being viewed with some satisfaction. While Managing Director Lars Ricken refrains from issuing a traditional challenge to Munich, he can’t resist taking a little dig at their longtime rival.

“I hope they’re a little annoyed.”

In an interview with BILD, Ricken made it clear that the relationship between the two clubs is characterized by mutual respect. At the same time, the 49-year-old knows that, in recent years, Dortmund has rarely been in a position—in terms of on-field performance—to publicly challenge Bayern.

“There’s a very respectful relationship between the two clubs. Nevertheless, we haven’t given Bayern the impression in recent years that we need to issue a challenge to them. But I won’t hide the fact that I hope they’re a little annoyed. We’re all aware of the standings, and they’re not currently where they think they belong. If that’s how they feel, I’d be pleased,” Ricken emphasized.

That doesn’t sound like a major challenge. Still, Dortmund can certainly hope that their own dream start will put early pressure on the defending champions.

After all, recent years have shown just how difficult it is to keep Munich at bay over the course of an entire season. That makes it all the more important for BVB to stay on track for as long as possible without losing too many points.

Will we finally see another Bayern-BVB title race?

Photo: Getty Images

After three matchdays, it’s obviously still far too early to talk about a real two-horse race for the championship. But with nine points, Dortmund has at least laid the groundwork to put pressure on the record champions right from the start.

Meanwhile, Bayern already took a hit in their first away game of the season. Against Schalke, Vincent Kompany’s team created chances but failed to capitalize on any of them in the scoreless draw.

Now they face Elversberg, the next promoted team. The Saarland-based side has also gotten off to an excellent start in its first Bundesliga season with two wins and is even ahead of the Munich team heading into this head-to-head matchup.

Another point dropped would widen Bayern Munich’s gap behind Dortmund early in the season. That’s exactly what Ricken is likely hoping for—at least a little—on Sunday.

After all, a real title race requires one thing above all else: rivals who keep Bayern under constant pressure. With its perfect start, Dortmund has laid the groundwork for just that—and Ricken apparently wouldn’t mind if that’s already being seen as a nuisance in Munich.