Some things are obvious, but still need a little bit of demonstrating from time to time. Like Marco Reus being a wonderful player. Like his partnership with Mario Götze being the basis for future success with Dortmund and with the German national team.
No German player has scored a hat trick this season, not even Mario Gomez, who has been either injured or staring at Mario Mandzukic show Bayern Munich that a striker can be about more than just scoring. And then came Marco Reus. A week after being hammered at home by Hamburg, a match that suddenly sent all the experts talking about possibly the end of the short reign of Klopp and a few days after the excellent 2-2 draw at Donetsk against Shakhtar, Dortmund, without the worries of a Champions League match to prepare to, had no problem showing their arsenal of abilities against Frankfurt.
Playing in 10 men, without a striker that’s not usually part of the setup, was possibly even better for Dortmund. A team that looks at its best through counter attacks, using an extremely efficient and fast system, doesn’t mind defending at home, especially after already taking an early 2-0 lead through Marco Reus, with some wonderful passing from Mario Götze.
The difference between the two is obvious – Reus is the hard working winger/attacking midfielder; lighting quick with the ball, and a much better finisher in the box. He player in a more central role during his Monchengladbach period, but playing coming from the left wing hasn’t hurt his dominance, nor has it impaired the ability of Götze to feel comfortable and dominant. The two have a brilliant relationship and understanding on the pitch, and one of the few things that have been missing for Dortmund this season in the league is more consistency from the two, and especially from Götze, who does pull a disappearing act here and there.
Reus is having an incredible season, with 11 league goals and 8 assists; Götze is doing just as well, scoring 7 goals so far, adding 16 assists. Along with Robert Lewandowski, it’s hard to argue that this is one of the more deadly and exciting to watch attacking trios in Europe. It’s no surprise they did so well in the group stage of the Champions League, with two of the brightest rising stars in the German game being so good next to each other. Concentration and focus in the league has been lacking in all aspects of Dortmund’s game this season, but sometimes it’s a price you have to pay after two league titles, and a different set of aspirations in mind.
Germany and Dortmund are waiting for these two to continue and develop. The future of the national team isn’t completely counting on it, at least not like the people in Dortmund are, but it’s safe to assume that if things keep going at this pace, it’s going to be a good decade for all sides involved.