Could Dortmund be about to end Bayern Munich dominance?

THE closest any team has come to dethroning Bayern Munich in the last six seasons is 10 points.

But the winds of change appear to be blowing in the Bundesliga with a new contender putting their hand up as genuine challengers.

Overnight, Borussia Dortmund made a major statement to Europe’s heavyweights with a 4-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid. It’s the Spanish giants’ biggest defeat across the entire 391-game tenure of highly regarded boss Diego Simeone.

That big result, coupled with their league-leading domestic form, suggests Dortmund could be in their best shape since Jurgen Klopp pushed the side to a league title in 2011-12 and as such be set to shake-up the German landscape.

Last season Dortmund failed to win a single match in Europe’s top club competition, failing to even beat Cypriot minnows Apoel Nicosia en route to being dumped back to the Europa League. But new boss Lucien Favre appears to have masterminded a renaissance at the Westfalenstadion.

They’ve racked up a perfect nine points from their opening three fixtures this time around, and are unbeaten with the Swiss tactician at the helm.

In the 12 games since he’s taken charge from Peter Stoger, who guided the outfit to a fourth placed finish last season (29 points adrift of champions Bayern), Dortmund haven’t lost – and what’s more they’ve found a ruthless streak that’s yielded an astonishing 37 goals already. That’s an average of more than three goals a game!

The arrival of Barcelona loanee Paco Alcacer, who’s averaging a goal every 18 minutes in the Bundesliga this season, and the stunning rises of teen superstars Jadon Sancho, Achraf Hakimi and Jacob Bruun Larsen have culminated in a remarkable turnaround at Dortmund.

And perhaps fortuitously, it’s coincided with a worrying slump over at rivals Bayern. After a remarkable four-game winless streak, the Bavarian club’s bosses held a press conference to launch an attack on what they called “disrespectful and disgusting” reporting.

Senior Bayern stars such as Manuel Neuer, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben had been criticised for their recent form – something the club appear to be struggling with, considering their constant success over the past few years.

“We will not put up with this slanderous and degrading coverage,” club president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.

“We will protect our players, our coach and also the club from today.”

Bayern have returned to winning ways in their past two outings, with victories over Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga and AEK Athens in the Champions League, but remain four points off league leaders Dortmund.

The six-time reigning German champions are also dealing with a managerial change as Niko Kovac assumed the hot seat following Jupp Heynckes’ departure. But they appear to have undergone a slower adjustment than that of their rivals.

“I don’t think there’s anybody playing as well with pace as Borussia Dortmund,” ESPN pundit Shaka Hislop said.

Should they keep up this pace, German football could be set for a major shake-up.