BERLIN — Borussia Dortmund's explosive start to the Bundesliga last week may have even surprised club bosses but the team is determined to reclaim its position among Germany's football elite, club CEO Hans Joachim Watzke said Wednesday. Dortmund's demolished Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-0 in its league opener under new coach Thomas Tuchel, with the team playing a scintillating brand of attacking football that will go a long way toward speeding up the transition period following long-time boss Juergen Klopp's departure last season. “Bayern are and remain the big favorites for the title,” Watzke told Bild newspaper. “In regard to the spots behind them, then whoever has written off Dortmund has made a mistake. We were never gone.” Dortmund, German champion in 2011 and double winner in 2012, imploded midway through last season to sit mired in last place at the halfway mark. A strong second half saw it finish seventh, four spots below Gladbach, as it salvaged a Europa League spot at the end of what was an otherwise disappointing campaign. Saturday's thumping win, however, filled fans and club bosses with optimism but Watzke warned what the team needed now was stability and consistency. “No one had any idea that the team would deliver such a game,” Watzke said, while warning against early-season over-confidence with Dortmund facing Norway's Odd in a Europa League playoff on Thursday before travelling to promoted Ingolstadt, which stunned Mainz 05 1-0 in its opener, on the weekend. “We now have two tough games ahead of us. Last season, after winning the (Ruhr) derby (against rivals Schalke 04) we celebrated but still fell back into a hole afterwards.” — Reuters
