FM12: Borussia Dortmund - 'Wo Champions sind Geboren'

Hello and welcome to the Borussia Dortmund club thread for FM2012, in here you will find everything to do with the club, and also any questions you want to ask just fire away. Reason for me picking Borussia Dortmund is just the general fact that I love the club as much as I love Arsenal, and I also have been lucky enough to go and see them at Signal Iduna Park, which for me creates a terrific atmosphere, and passion for football.

Goalkeepers

Roman Weidenfeller - Germany - Age 30 *

Mitchell Langerak - Australia - Age 22

Johannes Focher - Germany - Age 21

Defenders

Lukasz Piszczek - Poland - Age 26

Nevan Subotic - Serbia - Age 22 *

Mats Hummels - Germany - Age 22 *

Marcel Schmelzer - Germany - Age 23

Marc Hornschuh - Germany - Age 20

Felipe Santana - Brazil - Age 25

Patrick Owomoyela - Germany - Age 31

Chris Lowe - Germany - Age 22

Midfielders

Sebastian Kehl - Germany - Age 31

Sven Bender - Germany - Age 22

Mario Gotze - Germany - Age 19 *

Shinji Kagawa - Japan - Age 22

Kevin Großkreutz - Germany - Age 22

Antonio Da Silva - Brazil - Age 33

Florian Kringe - Germany - Age 28

Jakub Blaszczyhowski - Poland - Age 25

Moritz Leitner - Germany - Age 18

Ivan Perisic - Croatia - Age 22

Ilkay Gundogan - Germany - Age 20

Damian Le Tallec - France - Age 21

Forwards

Lucas Barrios - Paraguay - Age 26 *

Mohamed Zidan - Egypt - Age 29

Robert Lewandowski - Poland - Age 22

* - Players with an aster-ix beside them show that they are a key player to the club.

Goalkeepers

1 - Roman Weidenfeller - Without a doubt your number one keeper for the next few years to say the least, great shot stopper and also good in one on one situations. It seems like he has been at the club for years, which is correct, he arrived from Kaiserslautern in 2002, and since then he has been a key figure in the recent success of Borussia Dortmund. He also has good communication and Command of Area, which shows that he is domminant when coming out for crosses into the box. And with Roman in nets you can be reassured that he will do well and shouldn't make too many mistakes.

20 - Mitchell Langerak - Good back-up keeper to Roman in goal, however when Roman retires you should look to bring through a new keeper, as none of your other keepers are good enough for first choice in my opinion. Langerak has great reflexes, however doesn't have the best concentration, so may make some mistakes from time to time. Also his Command of Area and Communication are below average for what I look for in a keeper.

41 - Johannes Focher - Again another keeper that shouldn't become your first choice, although only 21 years old I would look to sell him on, Langerak is a good enough back up, and if you bring through a youth goalkeeper you can use him for your cup games if you wish, and hopefully develop him so that in the long run he can become no.1.

Fullbacks

25 - Patrick Owomoyela - Injured at the start of the season for around 2 months, and at the age of 31 he is at the wrong end of the career. However he has been a Dortmund great over the years, and he adds vital experience to what is a young squad. With only 12 tackling, he isn't the best, and he has also lost pace over the years, and with recent injuries that he hasn't fully recovered from. He is a good crosser of the ball, but because he lacks pace if he pushes to far ahead then opposing wingers may exploit him, so it is probably best that you play him defensively.

26 - Lukasz Piszczek - Great Right Back going forward, however again not the best defensively. He lacks key attributes at defending (Concentration, Tackling) however he has great stamina, so expect to see him runnin gup and down your flank overlapping your winger, and putting in a good cross in the end. In the 2010 season Dortmund fans were frustrated with him at times, but now that he is a regular, and not making as many mistakes to when he first joined the club, he is starting to get the backing of the fans.

29 - Marcel Schmelzer - Your first choice Left Back, however he is injured for the start of the season. At the age of 23 he already has 4 caps for Germany, and with Phillip Lahm playing Left Back for Germany in recent years, it just shows what a pospect Marcel Schmelzer is. He has good defensive stats for his age, but also isn't afraid of pushing forward. Again another Full Back that has 19 stamina which is a great plus.

Chris Lowe - Understudy to Marcel Schmelzer and should remain that way unless you can really develop him. He was touted to be one of the next biggest talents, however he is now 22, which is still young, but with Marcel Schmelzer only a year older than him and also a lot better than him, he shouldn't be starting Left Back against any of the big teams, and with only 10 stamina, 9 tackling, you should probably look to bring in someone else at Left Back.

Centre Backs

4 - Nevan Subotic - Signed from Mainz in 2007, Nevan has been a ever present Centre Back at the club since joining Dortmund, the amount of games he has played for the club you would have thought he was a veteran by now. Good at heading the ball (17) and also Marking and Tackling (16) however his Concentration isn't the best, which is the major downfall he has, and one of the few things you can fault him on. He should be your starting Centre Back with Hummels, and if you can get the Concentration up then that is a major bonus.

15 - Mats Hummels - Bought in the same transfer window as Nevan, however didn't make as big of an impact when he came to the club. Hummels was a product of the Bayern Munich youth academy, and also has 7 caps for Germany. Nevan Subotic is the better header of the ball but Hummels is better mentally gifted. His decision making, concentration and also composure are all top notch, along with his tackling and marking. Dortmund is also his favoured club, and you should keep hold of him for as long as you can, future German and Dortmund captain.

28 - Marc Hornschuh - A product of Dormund's own youth academy, and he doesn't look to be too much of a bad one. He is already starting to show signs of maturity, with good teamwork and concentration for his age. You should look to give him about 15 games in the first season, whether or not you play him in the cup games that is up to you.

27 - Felipe Santana - Provides good back up to the team should Subotic or Hummels get injured, however in the long run I think that you should bring someone else in, but that is just my opinion as for some reason I am not the biggest fan of Santana. He is on relatively low wages of £20k a week though, so you should look to keep him in the first season, due to the strengthening of other areas where needed first.

Defensive Midfielders

5 - Sebastian Kehl - Club Captain, and a great leader for the club. Joined Dortmund in 2001 and has had a great 10 years at the club, and one of the all time greats, and still good even though he has just turned 31. Great Team Player, doesn't lack in any of the mental stats for a defensive midfielder. Also a tough tackler of the ball. His Natural Fitness is on the low side (8) so don't expect him to play week in week out, and also it may take him longer to recover from his injuries, but none the less, a great player.

22 - Sven Bender - In the future this player is going to be even better than Kehl. Brought in from 1860 Munchen, his twin brother moved to Leverkusen. Very brave player and again another good tackler, doesn't like to do anything too adventurous, just likes to sit infront of the defence and break up opposing attacks. Has great stamina so yet again, works hard for the team. He is injured for the first six weeks, but if you can keep him fit after that, he will be vital to a good season ahead.

Centre Midfielders

21 - Ilkay Gundogan - £3.4million summer signing from Nurnberg, brought in to fill the gap left by Nuri Sahin. Opted to play for Germany rather than Turkey. Good passer of the ball and also has a great first touch. Could certainly do well for the club if you use him correctly.

6 - Florian Kringe - Doesn't stand out in any way, shape or form, you should look to sell him at the first given opportunity, and also you can free up some wages as he is on £33k a week, which is far too much for the player that he is.

8 - Antonio Da Silva - Again nothing more than a back up player, 33 years old, but he is on relatively low wages. Again I would look to sell him, he has made limited appearances for the club, and with the youth coming through the ranks, it is better off getting rid of him.

Attacking Midfields/Wingers

14 - Ivan Perisic - Summer signing from Club Brugge, and also their top scorer, good addition to the squad. Can play AML/AMC and also upfront. He has good teqnique but also has good finishing and heading of the ball. Good off the ball movement, he makes himself space which opens up other areas of the pitch, and also makes it difficult for defenders to track him.

19 - Kevin Großkreutz - One of the fans favourites, he never stops running and works hard for the team, might not be the best player or the fastest of players, but when he has possession of the ball expect something good to happen. He will often cut inside and either launch a cross field ball, or a through ball for the striker to latch on to. And when the team doesn't have possession then he will work hard as a team to get the ball back.

16 - Jakub Blaszczyhowski - A series of injuries has seen him decline over the years, although he is still only 25. Doesn't possess the greatest of stats technically but he is a fast player, he can knock the ball past the opponent and whip in a cross, but other than that don't really expect much more from him. Although a lot of people will choose not to I would probably look to sell him on.

23 - Shinji Kagawa - Possesses great agility and pace, can take a man on, but he is probably better known for the amount of assists that he can possibly get. A signing from Sakai FC in Japan for a nominal fee in today's economy of £300k, and could be one of the best buys ever. Since joining Dortmund he has been linked to clubs like Manchester United and Barcelona, however he came out stating that he would like to stay at Dortmund for the foreseeable future.

11 - Mario Gotze - At the young age of 19 he has already been capped at International Level. He has been at Dortmund since 2006 and has developed through the ranks of the youth academy, and now he is playing in the First Team of his boyhood club, think Wilshere and Arsenal. Give the ball to Mario and he can pick a pass, or he can dribble past a player and finish. He also has that added bonus of playing on the left, right or centre. Give him the free roam ability and he will cause a lot of damage.

Strikers

18 - Lucas Barrios - A signing from Colo Colo in 2009, and Lucas has been the main striker since joining Dortmund, after getting 19 goals in his first season. He is out for 2-3 months to begin with at the start of the season. But if the defenders make a mistake then expect Lucas Barrios to bury any chances that he gets. A real goal poacher, and could easily get 30 goals in a season.

9 - Robert Lewandowski - The great Pole that Dortmund signed from Lech Poznan, in recent FM games this player has been lethal, and is still a threat now. He may not have the finishing of Lucas Barrios but you can't deny his commitment to getting in the right places, and also chasing down lost causes. Also 10 goals at International level does say a lot.

13 - Damien Le Tallec - Younger brother to ex-Liverpool player Anthony Le Tallec. Damien can play either on the right, or up front. He is a pretty average player, but is good back-up, and the fact that he can play on the right or up front is also an added bonus.

10 - Mohamed Zidan - Ex-Hamburg striker now at Dortmund. A nightmare for the opposing defense due to his acceleration and dribbling. He is more of a creative striker rather than Barrios who it an out and our poacher. Good back-up should Lucas and Robert be injured. You could also retrain him to play on the right or left, due to his pace and creativity. One problem that Hamburg had with im is the fact that he wasn't a team player, so when he gets the ball expect him to be selfish, which no team wants, unless you have a Messi in the team.

Tactic 1: This is the main tactic that I would recommend you using. Especially for the home games. With Kehl and Bender sitting in defensive midfield, I suggest playing Kehl with a bit more attacking mentality and having Bender sitting in the Anchor Man role. The reason being is I believe that Bender does a better job of sitting back, and with his stamina and work rate, chasing down attacks, and just playing a simple ball after winning the ball back. Whereas the club captain Sebastian Kehl, I think is better at winning possession further up the field. These two positions are key to winning the game in my opinion. You can always play Gotze at AMC, but I think he is better on the right as an Inside Forward, this then paves the way for Lucasz Piszczek to attack the full right flank and support Gotze by making overlapping runs, and with the cover of Kehl and Bender you should be fine should you lose the ball and be facing a counter attack. You can either play Kagawa as a Attacking Midfielder or Supporting, I would most likely choose Attacking, otherwise Lucas Barrios may become isolated at times, and so if Kagawa pushes further up the pitch then you should be fine.

Tactic 2: Not much different between the 2 tactics, but only playing one DMC now, and for the same reason as above this is why I chose Bender to be that player rather than Kehl. Then you can play the CM's two ways, you can either have a Box to Box midfielder like Kehl, or you could change that to a Central Midfield Attack and play Ilkay Gundogan there, who has a great first touch and passer of the ball. Or you could swap him for Kagawa, as he is more suited to AMC rather than a MC. Something that I didn't touch on in the first tactic is Großkreutz, I deployed him as a defensive winger, a bit like Ji Sung Park or Manchester United, Großkreutz has countless energy and will run down the flank for days. He doesn't have the pace or dribbling of an out and out winger, but he is a good passer of the ball, and when he cuts inside then depending on Team Instructions which I will let you decide, then Schmelzer would most likely overlap, and he is also a much better crosser than Großkreutz. You could also incorporate Ivan Perisic into the team on the left somehow, who also in real life now usually starts ahead of Großkreutz, Perisic is the more attacking of the two, he could also do well as a second striker should you need to.

Tactic 3: In all of my saves, I usually run with only 1 striker up front, however I always like two have a tactic in which has two strikers up front, and to play the old fashioned football with a Target Man and a Poacher up front, with 2 fast wingers on either side, whipping balls into the box. Barrios is one of the best finishers in the league and could form a great partnership with Lewandsowski should you use them correctly. Lewandowski is a good worker for the team, but Barrios is more of the creator, should you choose to play 2 up front. The 2 Central Defenders have nothing special, I usually have them both a CD and defend, but this year I suggest trying to perform a Cover and Stopper Partnership between the 2 Defenders.

Reserved 4

Nice OP, this is my first save for this game. Lost my first game against Schalke though on penalties, but won in the cup and my first league game with a last minute goal. Gotze and Kagawa look fantastic and the kind of players you could build a team around. Throw in Hummels, Subotic, Bender and some great young prospects like Leitner and this could be the start of a great team.

Hummels, Subotic and Bender do look like the key to the defense in this team I must agree. And Leitner looks like with the right training then he could become a top player. Also expect the tactics bit to go up tomorrow, and also will be adding more pictures and colours at some point

Nice OP mate

Where did you get the kits for the German clubs?

Nice OP mate

Where did you get the kits for the German clubs?

Got them sortitoutsi mate, tried getting some more but the website is down at the moment for me.

Fantastic OP so far mate

Glad you went with that title too; suits BVB to a tee. Looking forward to the finished article.

Well Done, NG

EDIT: For those of you who are interested in Dortmund's title-winning 2010-'11 season, here is a terrific montage which I found some months ago. I love it!

Very good OP, I will be having a Dortmund save at some point soon.

Right done the tactics, going to finally play FM for a bit after not having played any yet, and will post possible transfer targets and also youth prospects sometime later on after I play

Nice OP

Would have definitely been these guys if I wasn't Koln, they looked incredible this year and their kit looks sooooo nice in the 2D classic engine

Perisic in particular looks wonderful, would make a great complete forward.

Nice OP

Would have definitely been these guys if I wasn't Koln, they looked incredible this year and their kit looks sooooo nice in the 2D classic engine

Perisic in particular looks wonderful, would make a great complete forward.

Cheers Perisc has had a big stat increase in my opinion, 17 finishing and 17 heading, also good off the ball movement and good anticipation If only I played 2 up front more often, so I will most likely use him on the left as an Inside Forward.

Fair enough, Dortmund more a one striker formation team tbh.

Might have a save with these guys but that's only if my Koln save corrupts.

I pray to god your Koln save corrupts They have a pretty good team in this though, and I actually quite like Koln, been trying to lure Podolski to the mighty Dortmund.

Haha, do it.

24 in 25 for me

Nice OP there

Haven't even made it mid July yet in my Newcastle save due to working this weekend, so it'll be a while before I start up any others, but I'll definitely be firing up a Dortmund save when I do.

This is my tactic. Lewandowski made two hattricks.

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Portuguese is the language.

Im giving Dortmund a go this year, looks really interesting! Sorted tactics but if anyone has any decent ones they wish to upload then please do!!!

Any recommendations in regards to signings, players and staff??

Potential Transfer Targets will go up later on sometime after I have played for a bit and get a general feel for the game. Not made any staff changed of yet, only in the scouts section.

Just letting you know that I'm dividing this save up with another Anyway, I won the Super Cup game against Schalke, wasn't too pleased with the performance but we got a 1-0 win, and a win is a win in my books Haven't bought or sold anyone yet either.

I'm tempted just to do a save with these because of Gotze

Gotze is actually a unreal player on the game, for some reason FC Porto want them, but I know where they can stick it. Also Kehl has been injured lately so I'm playing Sven Bender and Ilkay Gundogan in the middle, Gundogan has a great passing range.

Been handed a very tough Champions league group with Arsenal, Shakthar Donetsk and Ajax, this is such a 'footballing' group all teams in it are reknowned for getting the ball down and playing it

Hvaent managed to get Gotze firing yet 1/4 way through the season but Kagawa and Grosskreutz are on form so picking up the slack, with Barrios just coming into the fray and getting his fitness back

Probably only transfer activity in Jan transfer window will be a young LB for backup as Lowe isnt for the future, going to invest in Nico Schulz, a very raw young LB but I see potential

C'MON DORTMUNNDDD

KUUUUBBBAAAAAAAAA!!!!! Scored a goal in the 82nd minute to put us 3-4 UP against Shakthar AWAY!!!!

And a Barrios Hat-trick to boot!!!!!!

Unbeaten so far in all competitions only 8 games played in the league tho. Managed to beat Cheslea 2-0 at the bridge aswell. Going to be hard to keep hold of Gotze, Hummels, Subotic

KUUUUBBBAAAAAAAAA!!!!! Scored a goal in the 82nd minute to put us 3-4 UP against Shakthar AWAY!!!!

And a Barrios Hat-trick to boot!!!!!!

Well Done mate - Keep us up-to-date with your save

Unbeaten so far in all competitions only 8 games played in the league tho. Managed to beat Cheslea 2-0 at the bridge aswell. Going to be hard to keep hold of Gotze, Hummels, Subotic

Well, even if it will be wuite hard to keep the likes of Goetze, Hummels, Subotic and Barrios, it shouldn't be hard to find a replacement for them with the type of transfer fee's they will bring

I would imagine you wouldn't let Goetze go for anything less than 50 million, right?

How are the Hoffe doing on your save(s) when controlled by AI?

Hoffe aren't actually doing that bad on my save, not very far in to it as I just haven't had the time to play much lately, but I think they're about 6th after 15 or so games.

Im giving Dortmund a go this year, looks really interesting! Sorted tactics but if anyone has any decent ones they wish to upload then please do!!!

Any recommendations in regards to signings, players and staff??

My best signings in the first season was Marco Reus (from Gladbach), I had to pay £15.75m but he had a great return of 22 goals and 23 assists in 43 matches. I also bought Ruben Yttegård Jenssen (1.2m from Rosenborg), using him as a deep lying playmaker he has been quite consistent with avg ratings of 7.32 and 7.21 in the first 2 seasons - at the start of the third season I decided to cash in on him, so he went to Fiorentina for £14.5m

I also managed to get £17m for Subotic and spent £8m of that on Vertonghen (who according to my scouts was better than Subotic)

I need a striker, any cheap gems out there worth a punt?

In the 2010 season Dortmund fans were frustrated with him at times, but now that he is a regular

If you're talking about 2010/11 season, Piszczek was chosen as the best right back in Bundesliga (by Kicker i think). He played almost whole season in first squad.

I need a striker, any cheap gems out there worth a punt?

There is a guy called Bakengo, who has pretty good pace/acceleration and also pretty good finishing stats for a little under 1 million, I was planning on bringing him in but decided not to, but would be worth a shot.

what did u do with Lewandowski?

what did u do with Lewandowski?

Ive still got Lewandowski but i play with 2 upfront and i needed backup. I ended up selling Mats Hummels to Real Madrid for 20mil and with that 20mil bringing in Jan Vertonghen, Sime Vrsaljko, Vitinho ..... :O

wow you sold Mats Hummels? I would never even dream of selling him Although Jan Vertonghen is also a great player, but I just love Hummels so much, I would have sold Subotic, if I had to pick one due to his low concentration.

Moritz Leitner is coming on strong for me, how is everyone else finding him?

Leitner is a great prospect, so many good youth coming through at Dortmund now, one to watch out for. I usually play him in the Cup games and often use him as a sub.

Madrid have offered 30m for Hummels after my first season. Should i accept?

If you want to keep him then, No. But, you could do a awful lot with 30 million. Personally, I wouldn't accept

Like I saidbefore if you had to sell one CB it would be Subotic in my opinion, just because he makes a few mistakes, but Hummels is a no go, I would do everything to keep him, great player and one of the best CB's. On another note, Kagawa is out for 2 months, and also coming to the end of September so will be doing an update soon.

Nice OP, alot of detail on the team.

Awesome OP. Team analysis is too good

Just brought i Eriksen for 10mil.

Let us know how Eriksen gets on, are you going to be rotating him with Gotze or playing as the deeper playmaker and rotate with Gundogan?

I would play Gotze on the right as an Inside Forward, Gundgoan in CM and rotate Erikson with Kagawa in AMC.

In february of the second season and have just agreed to sign Kagawa on a free as Dortmund didn't offer him a new contract. What will be the best role to play him in? Is he more creative than his stat of "8"?

Me personally he is best in a AML/R position, I have had him pick out a nice ball but more than not he is a dribbler and is more direct and good to come in off the line and take on defenders and play one-twos, and he has superb off the ball so can make good runs etc.

On my second season with Dortmund.

Finished my first by coming 3rd in the Bundesliga, knocked out of the group stages of the CL (had group of death, Barca, Udinese and Zenit) and knocked out in the first round of the cup.

Only signed Jelle Vossen in my first season, for 2 million. Really good back up.

Throughout the year, didn't really get Barrios playing well, he scored occasionally but would go for long spells without any goals. So in this transfer window I've sold him on for 11 million (had a bid accepted from LFC for 16.5mil but he refused them) and I've brought in Demiao to replace him. Kagawa has had a hissy fit and decided he wants to play for a bigger club, he only has 11 months left on his contract so he's gone to Lyon for 16 million. I've brought in Acquilani and Pacheco from LFC on loan. And I still have 24.5 million left to strengthen my full back areas and maybe a new winger/AMC. Any recommendations?