Bayern are 50 years ahead of Dortmund, says Watzke

Posted Friday, February 13, 2015 by Goal.com

The BVB CEO has seen his team languishing near the bottom of the table all season and thinks the Bundesliga champions are decades ahead of his club

Bayern Munich are 50 years ahead of Borussia Dortmund in terms of their size and stature, according to the latter club's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.

The two teams have finished inside the top three in the last four Bundesliga seasons but currently occupy opposite ends of the table – Bayern are eight points clear at the top while BVB are just one point off the bottom.

Despite this, Dortmund are still fighting in the Champions League - they face Italian champions Juventus for a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament - although their chief does not think they will be at Bayern's level for another half a century.

"Bayern's Munich's achievements cannot be matched by us in the next 20 years - they are 50 years ahead of us," Watzke told reporters in Dusseldorf.

"But now we have reached the last eight in Europe for consecutive seasons and, ideally, that will happen again in the next month or so."

In Dortmund's absence at the top of the table, Bayern are being challenged in the league by Wolfsburg, who strengthened in the mid-season transfer window by signing Andre Schurrle from Chelsea for €32 million.

"Wolfsburg have powerful resources," Watzke added. "When they take things seriously, then all limits are withdrawn. Sure, we could push for a transfer like Schurrle at €32m, but not as often."

Jurgen Klopp's position as head coach at Signal Iduna Park has come under question in recent months and their home defeat to Augsburg sent rumours that he might be axed into overdrive.

However, he has so far survived the storm, with Dortmund bouncing back in their following game on Saturday by winning 3-0 at Freiburg and Watzke insists the charismatic trainer is going nowhere.

"If ever a club was entitled to stick with their coach, it is Dortmund with Klopp," the CEO continued.

"There was never an ultimatum and I cannot imagine a situation where he would resign. He has confidence and we have far too much trust in each other. There will be no firing, BVB are characterised by solidarity."

Dortmund are in action on Friday against Klopp's former club Mainz aiming for their first home win in the Bundesliga since December 5.