Dortmund vs Arsenal: Fierce Debate Online on Which Club’s ‘bottle’ Job Was Bigger

Dortmund vs Arsenal: Fierce Debate Online on Which Club’s ‘bottle’ Job Was Bigger

Rene Otinga
updated at April 22, 2024 at 2:05 PM
In this article:
English Premier League logo
ENG Premier League
England
Bundesliga logo
GER Bundesliga
Germany
  • Dortmund suffered the ultimate title collapse in the final day of the Bundesliga season
  • The German giants forced a 2-2 draw against Mainz in a game which they needed to win to secure a first title since 2012
  • After Bayern’s 2-1 win over FC Koln, fans likened Dortmund’s collapse to that of Arsenal in the Premier League

⚽️ Bookmark Sports Brief's Live Football Fixtures; Live Scores; Results and Tables section ⚽️

An interesting debate has emerged on social media on which club suffered a bigger title heart break between German giants Borussia Dortmund and Premier League’s Arsenal.

Both teams have eerily similar stories this season as they were both huge favourites for the title at some points in the season, only to falls short late on.

For Dortmund, they were leading the Bundesliga table heading into the final round of matches on Saturday, May 28, and they came up against Mainz at the Signa Iduna Park.

Dortmund manager
Head coach Edin Terzic of Borussia Dortmund consoles Niklas Suele following the team's draw, as they finish second in the Bundesliga behind FC Bayern Munich at Signal Iduna Park on May 27, 2023 in Dortmund, Germany. Photo by Alex Grimm.
Source: Getty Images

All they needed to do was to win against Thomas Tuchel’s former side and the title would be theirs regardless of the other result between Bayern Munich and FC Koln.

Bayern, on the other hand, needed to win against Koln and hope Dortmund drop points.

Dortmund led the Bundesliga table four times in the just concluded season, and according to BBC, they were pegged by Bayern each time, including in the final day of the season.

Arsenal’s title collapse

For Arsenal, their shortcoming in the title race was not as dramatic, but was still quite heartbreaking from fans’ point of view.

Unlike Dortmund, the Gunners spent more than 240 days of the season top of the table, before experiencing a spectacular dip in form from April.

Having enjoyed an 8-point lead at the table, Arsenal’s faltering came at the wrong time and Manchester City, like Bayern, took full advantage as they went on a frightening winning streak which eventually ended in a third consecutive league title for Pep Guardiola.

Fans reaction

On social media, fans could not help but try to compare the two, and there was an interesting debate on which side ‘bottled’ the league in more spectacularly.

Some argued that Dortmund never had gap at the top which Arsenal enjoyed this season, hence the Gunners’ title disappointment was worse.

While another faction, presumably Arsenal fans, argued the Gunners would never have bottled the league with everything at stake on the final day of the season.

@Kibett_Oliver said:

“Better arsenal didn't have to wait till the last day.”

@KojoNhyira7

“Definitely Dortmund. You just had to win one match.”

While @Tega56927318 hilariously commented:

“Arsenal is a bottling brand.”

@Milanizerr said:

“Arsenal because they were in lead for plenty days.”

@ArsenalHD8 added:

“Did anyone expect arsenal to even get top 4? So how can you say bottled against a oil rich Man City? Where are all the other top 4 clubs?”

@EnockAboagye said:

“Dortmund is the biggest. I’m hoping next season Mainz 05 will battle for relegation then Bayern score them to win another title.”

Dortmund fans applaud fans

Sports Brief also reported on how Borussia Dortmund fans applauded their team in an emotional show of support despite the title heartbreak.

A full-packed Signal Iduna crowd were anticipating a first German championship in 11 years however, what will ensue after 90 minutes will leave the players dejected.

With the players looking dejected and heartbroken, the 81,000+ fans gathered at the Signal Iduna Park offered a shoulder for the players and technical team to cry on by passionately singing out the club's anthem instead of berating them.

Authors
Rene Otinga photo
Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.