Borussia Dortmund season ends in glory

Borussia Dortmund will travel through their city to parade the German Cup trophy on Sunday but soon after the celebrations die down at the Borsigplatz square thoughts will turn to next season.

It is the nature of football that success, as hard fought as it is, can be enjoyed only temporarily before the next looming challenge comes into focus.

And Dortmund, just hours after Saturday's 2-1 cup final win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Berlin, have more reason than most to pull up a seat at the drawing board.

"That was a really tough task. It was not our best game, but that doesn't matter. We did it!! I'd like to pay a big compliment to my team," Tuchel said in first interviews after the victory.

This Dortmund side started the campaign without the significant trio of Mats Hummels, Ilkay Guendogan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, all of whom were sold for big money last summer.

That was heavily reinvested as more than 100 million dollars was spent on the likes of Mario Goetze, Ousmane Dembele, Andre Schuerrle and Raphael Guerreiro.

The season was not always smooth on the pitch but ultimately Dortmund finished third in the Bundesliga, behind champions Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, to clinch a place in next season's Champions League.

And with the a trophy to parade for the first time since 2012, it could be assumed all is rosy in the Borussia garden.

That would overlook the massive gap to champions Bayern, even if Dortmund did eliminate them from the German Cup in the semi-finals, and apparent disagreements between Tuchel and the club leadership.

"I cannot say how it will go," Tuchel said of a planned meeting to analyse the season. "I still have a contract and want to fulfil it.

"I don't want to seem naive or build up a pressure situation. But it seems like the result of the meeting is open."

In recent weeks senior Dortmund figures such as chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke and president Reinhard Rauball have been publicly at odds with Tuchel and there are rumours he could be replaced.

Tuchel was - and still is - a highly regarded young coach when he was picked to replace the departing hero Juergen Klopp in 2015. On the face of it, his results of second and third in the table, runners-up in the cup one year and winners the next, are acceptable.

Dortmund, however, find themselves uniquely placed in Germany where they remain significantly smaller than Bayern Munich but significantly bigger than anyone else.

That makes setting the bar for a successful campaign somewhat tricky. Spending 100 million dollars yet finishing 18 points shy of the champions reeks of failure - but even that amount is modest compared to what Bayern can invest year after year.

"Every footballer wants to win titles, so I'm delighted beyond measure that we finally managed it today," said Marco Reus, celebrating his first major honour.

Dortmund, having won one of only two German domestic trophies, have surely vindicated Tuchel, particularly after a difficult campaign hampered by injuries and the bomb attack on the team bus in April.

"This title is the crowning conclusion to our season," keeper Roman Buerki said. "I have never experienced so much as I have this season - both on and off the pitch.

"The team have come together in an incredible way. It hasn't been easy. This team have continued to grow together with every single experience. We can feel proud."

As their fans hail their achievement on Sunday, Dortmund's pride will only grow. But when the cheers fade, Tuchel - and the Dortmund board - must make some difficult decisions.

"We have all reached our objectives and capped a special season," Tuchel said. "That can only happen if there is mutual trust."