Borussia Dortmund return to their roots ahead of big month

'How good are they really?' has been the perpetual question around Borussia Dortmund at seemingly every stage of the last few seasons. While the long-term answer to that will likely remain the source of great debate in German football circles for years to come, the short-term answer is far more exciting.

After Dortmund's 3-0 victory over Copenhagen to start their Champions League season, it's fair to say Dortmund look really good.

Edin Terzic deserves perhaps greater praise for making this team more versatile. Two weeks after a forgettable 1-0 win against Hertha that saw Dortmund cross the ball a remarkable 24 times, Dortmund, in front of the Yellow Wall full of standing fans for the first time ever in Europe, returned to the football that has made them such an attraction in the modern era.

"We played really clearly, let the ball do the work and rewarded ourselves with three superbly created goals," Terzic said afterwards.

Julian Brandt looked at his best, perfectly slicing the defense open to set up Marco Reus for the opener. Reus was scintillating, and his goal made him the club's leading European scorer, with 27 goals.

"I think we're a bit more variable," Reus said afterwards of Dortmund this season compared to last with Erling Haaland. "I think Tony [Anthony Modeste] is getting better with each game. It's a different level. He's getting used to it."

Raphael Guerreiro and Gio Reyna's neat footwork in the box made for a flowing second. Jude Bellingham, who tucked away a third late on, delivered another boisterously brilliant performance, even squaring up to Viktor Claesson after the Swede knocked over Reyna with his shoulder.

Dortmund's defenders were winning the ball back, driving or playing the ball forward, desperate to create a chance. It was fast, fantastic and familiar.

What to do with Anthony?

It hasn't been the case throughout the season so far, but Terzic's ability to get this team going from pragmatic to purring has to be a reason for optimism. Sebastien Haller, who was watching on in the stands, certainly looked like a man delighted about the team he signed and hopes to soon play for.

Inevitably that optimism is tempered somewhat by the question of what to do with the man brought in to fill the gap while Haller recovers. Anthony Modeste worked hard and might have scored in the first half when he mis-hit a low cross, but for a player that needs Dortmund to play one way, this was not his night. Dortmund were more flexible and fluid, and when they did cross they did so poorly - by the time the Frenchman was brought off, only three of Dortmund's 15 crosses had arrived at their mark.

The only greater balancing act for Terzic this season will be player fitness. "After a certain point it's hard to accept," Reus told Amazon of his feelings about the injuries afterwards.

Thorgan Hazard's hamstring forced him off early and star keeper Gregor Kobel didn't even start due to muscle problems. Terzic probably wasn't delighted at Reyna having to play 70 minutes this soon after the American's recovery, but the raft of changes made once the contest was over were a sign of a coach distinctly aware of the need to manage his players' fitness between now and the World Cup in November.

Over the next five weeks, Dortmund face a season-defining run of eight games. Next is RB Leipzig, then there's the Haaland reunion before the Ruhr derby. That's followed by Cologne and Sevilla away, Bayern Munich at home, Sevilla at home and then Union Berlin away.

By the time that second round German Cup tie in Hanover comes around in mid October, the question of just how good this Dortmund team really is might be more difficult to answer. Right now though, they're excellent.