After BVB's dream start: Ricken sends warning to Munich | OneFootball

After the perfect start to the season, BVB are sitting at the top of the table. Lars Ricken is using the strong start to send a clear message to FC Bayern.

Borussia Dortmund have made a perfect start to the new Bundesliga season. After four matchdays, they have four wins and twelve points to their name. Thanks to the hard-fought 1–0 win at VfB Stuttgart, BVB moved to the top of the table and now sit two points ahead of FC Bayern. For the first time in 1,212 days, Dortmund are back on top.

For sporting managing director Lars Ricken, the current situation is certainly reason enough to look at the competition with confidence. Aiming especially at Munich, the 50-year-old issued a small warning: “Of course, we also want to be a real challenge for Bayern. It’s also about annoying Bayern a little, so that they’re not yet where they see themselves.”

The reason for the growing self-confidence is not just the flawless points haul. The performance in Stuttgart in particular showed that coach Niko Kovac’s team can now also win tight matches. Maximilian Beier scored the decisive goal, and Dortmund then successfully defended their narrow lead.

Four BVB wins: Ricken speaks about the title race

What Ricken especially liked was his team’s resilience. “I think we passed the stress test,” the BVB boss explained after the match. At the same time, he praised the way Dortmund stood their ground against VfB: “I saw a team that fought back.”

Photo: IMAGO

Even so, no one in Dortmund wants to talk about an early title declaration despite the successful start to the season. After all, only a small part of the campaign has been played so far. Ricken therefore warned: “We shouldn’t already be looking all the way to May.”

Still, the start to the season does provide arguments that BVB could stay closer to the Munich side this year. Dortmund last managed four wins from their first four matches eleven years ago. Borussia now head into the international break as league leaders. Whether this will actually turn into a lasting duel with Bayern is something the coming weeks and months will have to show.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.