How Klopp built a title-winning Borussia Dortmund team

Jürgen Klopp winning the Bundesliga twice in a row during the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons was what cemented him as one of the highest-regarded managers of his generation. Not only because he took a team that was struggling when he got it and made them champions of German football, but also because they did it while playing exciting and intense football, becoming the envy of fans across the world.

This was the result of years of hard work, proper scouting, and overall doing things well, which allowed Klopp and his boys to leapfrog German giants Bayern Munich at the time, which is something that very clubs can brag about. This was a special peak for the club and the Bundesliga as a whole, which is why it deserves to be remembered.

The Beginning of Klopp's Revolution

By 2008, Borussia Dortmund were a team going through a lot of upheaval. After a disappointing 13th place in the previous season, the club hired manager Jürgen Klopp from Mainz as this was a part of a revolution within the club. The board was eager to revamp the scouting and recruiting process while the coach would inspire the team to play a more intense and quicker brand of football.

The first two seasons of Klopp at the helm would lead to a sixth and a fifth place, showing an improved playing style focused on pressing, although not the finished article yet. Recruitment would improve, signing the likes of Jakub Blaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski from Poland for small fees while doing likewise within the Bundesliga with players such as Neven Subotić, Mats Hummels, Sven Bender, Kevin Großkreutz and Lukasz Piszczek, plus the odd signing from outside Europe, such as Lucas Barrios and Shinji Kagawa.

Despite losing against Bayer Leverkusen during the opening game of the 2010/11 Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund would win the next fourteen matches of the league, thus becoming leaders of the competition by Christmas time. Moreover, they would win the competition with two games to spare while also being the youngest side to do so, which was another important milestone for the club.

Mats Hummels

"We realised early on that we were really good, that we could handle most opponents on the pitch, that we were well set in a footballing sense, we had a good system," Mats Hummels said in 2019 when talking with the Bundesliga's official website. "Looking back at it, the first game of the second half of the season was key. We were away at Leverkusen, who were right behind us, and beat them 3-1, scoring all three goals in the space of five minutes. It was a special feeling afterwards. It was at that point that we felt we were genuinely ready to win the title."

The Rise to the Top

It has happened in the past that a team wins the Bundesliga and Bayern Munich takes back their crown during the following season. However, Klopp's Borussia Dortmund would prove to be a very special team as they won the league once again the following season, this time around breaking even more records, although the man himself doesn't remember every detail of what happened during those years.

"Quite a lot has happened in my life, but it's not the case that I've won so much that I get it all mixed up," Jürgen Klopp said in 2020, as per the Daily Mail. "But 2011 and 12 aren't so easy because the team didn't change that much and when I was thinking about the games we played, I was trying to remember: was that 2010-11 or 11-12? But I've got nothing but great memories and it probably had a huge impact on my career as a coach. We really made the most of what we had. Winning promotion with Mainz was unexpected for all of us and I didn't know what would happen next, that was such a big thing."

Robert Lewandowski

It would also be during this season that striker Robert Lewandowski would begin to reach his full potential, scoring 30 goals in 47 matches across all competitions. Previously he had been an inconsistent striker before this season, but at this points the Polish man would reach new heights and never let go.

"It was a very difficult decision but I knew I had to go abroad," Robert Lewandowski said in 2022 when talking to the official Bundesliga website. "I wanted to show everyone that I was the right striker, the right person, at the right club. I experienced a lot (at Dortmund); I showed everyone the football player I wanted to be, and I wanted to show I could be better. I achieved that and I managed to show people. I am really thankful for what I achieved playing for Borussia Dortmund and for what we won. We created history for the club."

The overall 81 points they achieved that year was the highest point total ever in Bundesliga history, and the 47 points they collected in the latter part of the season also established a new record. Their 25 victories in the league matched Bayern Munich's record, and their unbeaten streak of 28 league matches was the best ever seen in a single German league season.

This season would arguably reach its zenith when Dortmund beat Bayern Munich in a massive 5-2 victory in the DFB-Pokal final, securing the first double in the club's entire history. The fact they did that against Bayern also elevated this squad and Klopp's profile across the world.

The End of an Unforgettable Era

Sadly, everything comes to an end. Bayern Munich, coached by Jupp Heynckes, would go on to win the treble the following, even going as far defeating Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League final. And, as of this writing, the Signul Iduna Park side has yet to win the league ever since.

However, what Jürgen Klopp and his players achieved during that period of their careers is something that is always going to live on in German football. They achieved something quite special and many of the protagonists went on to have great careers.