Inside Borussia Dortmund: What we learned from the first episode of the Amazon Prime documentary

The first episode of the long awaited ‘Inside Borussia Dortmund’ documentary was finally released today on Amazon Prime Video, giving us a special insight of the club’s 2018-19 season. Here are some things we learned from the first episode.

Lucien Favre opens up about his football philosophy

Lucien Favre is often reserved and quiet in public, but the documentary begins with the Swiss tactician giving an in-depth explanation about his philosophy and demands from his players. He talks about the importance of doing the dirty work, defending and fighting as a team.

We also learn from assistant coach Edin Terzic about Favre’s love for the game, and also how meticulous he is about even the smallest of things. Matthias Sammer calls him the director of the team, while Michael Zorc and Hans Joachim Watzke also praise his distinct style of play.

Favre is without a doubt one of the greatest minds in football at the moment, and listening to him talk about the beautiful game is one of the best parts about this documentary.

Marco Reus speaks about his injury struggles

Marco Reus also speaks about dealing with his injuries and the mental impact they had on him. The 30 year old adds that his injuries have made him more motivated than ever, and now he wants to lead Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga title. While Hans Joachim Watzke and Edin Terzic both praise Reus’ leadership and how he has taken on more responsibility, both on and off the pitch.

Reus also talks about being a boyhood Borussia Dortmund fan and going to games as a child with his father. The Borussia Dortmund captain also gives fascinating insight about how his parents wanted to name him Dennis, before Marco van Basten’s famous goal in the 1988 European Championships finals against Soviet Union prompted his father to name him Marco.

The deep impact of the bus attack

Goalkeeper Roman Bürki relives the tragic bus attack of 2017, and how the players had to take cover in the bus, fearing for their lives, not knowing what was happening. The Swiss goalkeeper also speaks about seeing Marc Bartra’s wrist covered in blood and how there were bullet holes in the bus. Marcel Schmelzer says that the players were lucky, but the impact of the attack continues to remain on the players’ minds.

Hans Joachim Watzke says that the bus attack continued to adversely affect the players in the season that followed. He reveals that many players could not cope with the court proceedings on Thursdays (just two days before matches), and realised that some of them needed a change of environment, prompting the club to do a big overhaul of the squad last summer.

Axel Witsel makes his mark

Axel Witsel was arguably the best bargain buy of last summer, and both the Borussia Dortmund players and bosses were left impressed by the Belgian international’s impact both on and off the pitch. Marco Reus praises Witsel’s calmness and intelligence. While Michael Zorc says that he could play a part at almost any team in the world. Witsel also talks about how he did not hesitate for a second when Borussia Dortmund came calling.

The four men who call the shots

The documentary also touches on the reasons behind Matthias Sammer and Sebastian Kehl’s appointments last summer. Michael Zorc and Hans-Joachim Watzke decided that it was time to bring in some fresh ideas and look for fresh ways to solve things.

The documentary also gives us an inside look of a meeting between the quartet who make all the decisions at Borussia Dortmund. Hans Joachim Watzke reveals that Michael Zorc has the final say on transfers, and the other three give him their advice and assessments on the matter.

The changes have undoubtedly worked, and the new signings played a major role in Borussia Dortmund’s second place finish last season. The Black and Yellows have four brilliant minds involved in the decision making process at the club, and hopefully their decisions will continue to pay dividends in the coming seasons.

The second episode of the documentary ‘Inside Borussia Dortmund’ will be available on Friday, 23 August on Amazon Prime Video. You can catch the first episode here.