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

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

*That* game against Hoffenheim

The episode begins in the aftermath of Borussia Dortmund’s Pokal defeat to Werder Bremen. With Marco Reus out injured, and Lucien Favre missing with illness, the Black and Yellows faced Hoffenheim at the Westfalenstadion. The documentary gives us an in-depth, behind the scenes look of the game.

Assistant coach Edin Terzic talks about how he was in constant communication with Lucien Favre, and how he along with Manfred Stefes tried to find the right solutions to influence the game. With Borussia Dortmund leading 2-0 at the break, Stefes tells the players to be careful of Hoffenheim’s attack and change in shape. While we also get a glimpse of how the coaches give the players their half time analysis and team talk.

Of course, Borussia Dortmund went on to score their third goal, but things did not go to plan, as Hoffenheim pulled off an incredible late comeback to draw the game 3-3.

Marco Reus’ road to recovery

The documentary also shows us Marco Reus’ attempts to return to full fitness after the injury he suffered in the Pokal tie against Werder Bremen. The Dortmund captain’s rehab work and his frustration at not being able to be out on the pitch to help his teammates is a focal part of the episode.

With the team struggling, there is a lot of pressure on Reus to return from his injury very quickly. And after weeks of hard work, when club doctor Markus Braun finally gives him the green light, you can see the pure elation on the Reus’ face.

Witsel and Alcacer learn German

The documentary also gives us a glimpse of Axel Witsel and Paco Alcacer taking class to learn German together, which provides for some really funny moments, especially when the teacher asks them if they did their homework. Seriously, there should be an episode dedicated to just these two learning to speak German.

Witsel also talks about how his experience of playing in several different countries has helped him learn different languages and cultures. He speaks four languages, which allows him to be the translator for players who cannot speak German.

A fond look back at the memorable history of Borussia Dortmund

The documentary also takes a look into Borussia Dortmund’s storied history from the mid 1960s to the club’s financial woes in the early 2000s. The likes of Hans Joachim Watzke and Michael Zorc talk about growing up as Dortmund fans, and how the team’s relegation affected them as children.

Better times lay ahead though, as Borussia Dortmund returned to the Bundesliga, and finally won the German Cup in 1989, with Nobby Dickel starring despite suffering from a long standing knee injury.

The cup win marked the start of the club’s revival, and the start of the Niebaum/Meier era, which culminated with victory in the UEFA Champions League final in 1997. Ottmar Hitzfeld, who led Borussia Dortmund to back to back league titles and Champions League success, talks about the fond memories of his time at the club, and how the Black and Yellows are still close to his heart.

Borussia Dortmund lose their lead

The final part of the episode takes a deeper look into the game against Augsburg. Despite Marco Reus’ return, Borussia Dortmund suffered a shock 2-1 defeat, which saw them lose their lead at the top of the table.

Matthias Sammer’s rant after the game about Dortmund’s lack of experience is also discussed. And while it caused a lot of media uproar, Michael Zorc and Hans Joachim Watzke both say that they did not have a problem with it as he was just doing his job as a pundit for Eurosport.