Can hugely exciting Dortmund put Bayern under genuine pressure?

With the Bundesliga just two games old there was already a sinking feeling of same old, same old with regards to the dominance of Bayern Munich.

Whilst incredibly early days, the Bavarians had picked up two wins, scoring 8 goals and conceding none. Their closest rivals Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile - whom many hoped would push Ancelotti’s men all the way after a very busy summer in the transfer market - had just lost to RB Leipzig after a relatively unconvincing opening day victory over Mainz. Their record, by comparison, read three points, two scored and two conceded.

The progress of die Schwarzgelben since, however, has restored faith that Thomas Tuchel’s side really mean business. A 6-0 hammering of Legia Warszawa was followed by a victory of the same scoreline against Darmstadt, who look likely to be the whipping boys of the division this time around. In that sense, while emphatic, both wins didn’t really carry too much significance given the quality of the opposition.

A meeting on Tuesday night with Wolfsburg would be a far greater indicator of just how much this hugely exciting young squad could potentially achieve. Dieter Hecking’s side had had an underwhelming start to the campaign, with five points from three matches, but were yet to concede a league goal. Moreover, since the start of the 2014/15 season, the Wolves had lost just three of their previous 35 home matches in the Bundesliga.

Consecutive scorelines appear to be becoming a habit for this Dortmund side though, as they romped to a second successive 5-1 win over Wolfsburg. Doing so on the road this time, though, was far more impressive given the polarisation of their opponents' form at home compared to away. It was a performance of quite remarkable efficiency from a side whose entire starting midfield was under the age of 25, including teenage wingers Ousmane Dembele and Christian Pulisic. The visitors would have just 10 shots to their hosts 15 but hit the target with all but one of their efforts, with that blocked rather than wide or high of the mark.

It was the most intriguing of the quintet behind star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang that would break the deadlock and go on to secure a WhoScored.com man of the match rating of 9.11.

Raphael Guerreiro, who was signed this summer as the club clearly looked to the future by way of eventually bridging the gap to Bayern, started in central midfield for the third match running. A left-back by trade, at least until now with both Lorient and Portugal - with whom he greatly impressed en route to Euro 2016 glory - the 22-year old had played in a more advanced position on the wing before but this role in the middle of the park is a Tuchel experiment, and already proving to be an inspired one at that from the highly regarded young boss.

Guerreiro’s game seems suited to a wide role, with his pace and delivery from the flanks - possessing a wicked left foot - enabling him to provide a real attacking outlet from that wing. After all, in his final two seasons with Lorient the Portuguese contributed with 10 goals and 5 assists, predominantly from full-back. He was clearly a real weapon from that position, so why change something that was already working?

Well Tuchel has noticed qualities in the player that he feels can help not only solidify his midfield but offer the sort of energy and thrust that enables Dortmund’s quick transitions from defence to attack. His runs from deep to support Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have already been a real feature, while his ability to find pockets of space and interpret attacking situations have been a real discovery from the manager. Indeed, it’s been a switch that has paid great dividends so far, with the club scoring 17 goals in Guerreiro’s three starts. The youngster has scored two himself and provided a further three assists. We haven’t even touched upon his ability over a dead ball.

While Guerreiro’s performances in midfield have been a revelation, Dortmund’s acquisitions elsewhere also look capable of taking this side onto a new level. They may have lost last season’s star man in Henrikh Mkhitaryan as well as the latest fan favourite to defect to Bayern in Mats Hummels - not to mention being without Marco Reus through injury - but BVB still look every bit as dangerous.

Of the club’s six highest rated players in the league thus far four are summer signings, while three are just teenagers. Emre Mor may only have played 22 minutes thus far but has already opened his account for the club, Dembele was also on the scoresheet for the first time in midweek and Pulisic scored once and registered two assists against Darmstadt.

The likes of Schurrle, the aforementioned Guerreiro and even Hummels’ replacement Marc Bartra have also all had a hand in at least one goal thus far in a side that look capable of scoring from all manner of means and sources. In fact, the one signing that hasn’t really had an impact in the league so far was arguably Dortmund’s most notable in the form of the returning Mario Gotze. He, however, was on the scoresheet in the Champions League, making it 13 different goalscorers across six matches in all competitions thus far.

Everything is pointing towards an incredibly bright future for this side, with Lukasz Piszczek the old head at the club at just 31 - Adrian Ramos is the only other player to have featured aged 30. Dortmund’s fans, however, will be confident that this is a group of hungry players, already well-drilled in their manager’s ideals, capable of competing at the very top in the here and now. The strength of the squad and the options at Tuchel’s disposal have improved after all, and Dortmund weren’t too far behind Bayern for much of the campaign last time around.

A meeting with promoted Freiburg is up next for a rampant BVB, before a run of games that could have a significant bearing on how this side sets its sights for the season both at home and abroad. Real Madrid and Sporting CP sandwich league matches with Leverkusen and Hertha Berlin. Dortmund are more than capable of winning all four.

Ultimately though, their chances at league success will rely on Ancelotti’s project at Bayern. BVB have proven the only side really capable of competing with the Bavarians firepower recently and unless that changes, the Bavarians will be on course for a fifth successive title. For the neutral, the hope is that Tuchel’s team can keep pace this time around. They have it in abundance after all.

Can Borussia Dortmund be better this season than they were last? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below