Borussia über Schalke

If you drove past the industrial heartland of Germany today you would only find Weissbier filled glasses, office paperwork untouched and either the color blue or yellow complimenting it all. Today's battle of the Ruhr, where Schalke Gelsenkirchen hosted bitter rivals Borussia Dortmund, was anything, but an ordinary match. With just 15 miles separating the two sides, the fanaticism engulfing the region and bragging rights at stake left the hard work ethic of the Ruhr paralyzed. However, through European success, two recent Bundesliga titles and today's 3-1 victory, Dortmund is decisively the über team. BVB spent very wisely during the transfer window going against coach Jurgen Klopp's philosophy of buying cheap players and bringing them up. With the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from St. Etienne for 13 million Euros and Henrikh Mikhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk for 27.5 million Euros (two difficult names to spell) the new spending habits already paid great dividends. The man from Gabon already netted six goals while the Armenian has been the key play-maker filling in the void left by Mario Gotze's departure. Turning our attention to the men in blue, it's apparent that there were big hopes that just haven't maximized fully. The addition of Adam Szalai from Mainz has been paying off; however, the Hungarian striker looked lost and indecisive during the big match-up. Apparently, like many promising players before him, Szalai was the top man at a lower table club and now he finds himself unfit to perform each weekend for a team like Schalke that's desperate for a consistent striker. Another transfer issue for Schalke is AC Milan's Kevin Prince Boateng. Looking at the player sheet one would think otherwise, but the Ghana international looked sluggish on the field today especially after his penalty miss. The transfer window has only strengthened the side in yellow. Another major component to Dortmund's powerhouse status are its fans, specifically their Ultras. Borussia's home, Westfalenstadion, is the setting to some of Europe's best tifo displays. Who could forget their tantalizing display against Malaga in the Champions League, where a giant BVB fan popped out of the yellow backdrop looking through binoculars for the coveted cup. Today's derby showed the dirty side too as Borussia fans threw flares on the pitch and at the opposing supporters. With such disregard for the German ordnung it's apparent that this mighty force is against modern football, which only solidifies them as one of the best supported sides in Europe. Really, the only good thing that Schalke could take away from this match was the only man in blue to score. Max Meyer came off the bench and within five mintues scored what looked to be a glimmer of hope for Schalke, but it wasn't enough to motivate the rest of the team to pressure. Still, Schalke should look more toward its youth players to try and find others like Meyer, who are hungry and have the desire to perform for a club they were raised to support. Basically, the Ruhr derby, no matter if Dortmund continue to reign for many years to come, is what rivalries are all about. Dortmund's Kevin Grosskreutz said it best, "If my son becomes a Schalke fan , I'll give him up to an orphanage." No matter where you're from in the Ruhr region the colors you put on say just as much about you as your work ethic. Work hard, support harder.