What is Wrong with Dortmund

Jurgen Klopp's side have plunged to new depths this season and are propping up the rest of the table for the first time since 1985. So what has gone wrong for BVB?

The nightmare continues. Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt left Borussia Dortmund languishing
at the bottom of the Bundesliga table for the first time since 1985. Within 18 months of reaching the Champions League final, BVB are a shadow of the team who thrashed Real Madrid 4-1 and are in utter freefall. 

This is the first time in 29 years that the Westfalenstadion club have been propping up the table and, unless they turn it around soon, they will have to forget about Champions League qualification and just focus on survival. 

To say that consistency has never been an issue in the Jurgen Klopp era would be a lie. Since their first Bundesliga title under the eccentric coach in 2010-11, they have always suffered from poor bouts of form. But bouts they were, fleeting dips in between long winning runs. 

So far this season, they have been unable to shake off the losing streak, which is made all the more puzzling by their Champions League form. BVB currently top their group ahead of Arsenal, having won all but one of their matches – a 2-0 loss at the Emirates a fortnight ago when qualification was already secure.

“We cannot change the Bundesliga situation tomorrow so it’s a bit like a holiday for me!” Klopp said before the clash in London. 

So, what is the cause of these domestic woes?

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke believes their problems date back to the double-winning season of 2012 when they thrashed Bayern 5-2 in the DFB-Pokal final. The Bavarians reacted to this humiliation by drawing up a plan to sign BVB's star duo Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski. 

“The decisive mistake was that we scored too many goals in Berlin. Bayern could have accepted a 3-2 defeat but a 5-2 loss was too much for them,” he said last week. 

But while replacing key men such as Lewandowski and Gotze year after year has become increasingly difficult, there are many other reasons for Dortmund's struggles.

They began the current campaign well with a 2-0 win over Bayern in the Supercup and though they lost their opening Bundesliga game to Leverkusen, subsequent victories over Freiburg, Augsburg and Arsenal painted the picture of a team in good health. 

Gradually, though, injuries began to take their toll. Marco Reus, by far their best player, has been picking up niggling knock after niggling knock and has featured in just seven Bundesliga games so far. 

In addition, newly-appointed captain Mats Hummels has been suffering with various physical problems since his summer exploits in the World Cup. He is often replaced in the team by new signing Matthias Ginter, a talented but developing youngster.

Dortmund's finishing in matches has also cost them this term. They have often dominated opponents but been profligate in front of goal. Their shot conversion rate is a measly 8.8 per cent, less than half the 17% they boasted last term. 

To compound it all, basic errors in defence are jumped upon in a manner they seem to be incapable of replicating. Bereft of confidence, this cycle repeats itself week after week in the Bundesliga. As the chances go begging at one end of the pitch, the defence gets nervous and concedes a costly goal. 

It could be argued from the outside that things have simply begun to get stale - with Klopp now in his seventh season at Signal Iduna Park. But the feeling inside the club is that nothing has changed in this respect - motivation levels and the desire of everyone to succeed is no different to past years.

For now, the focus is on getting their season back on track. Klopp is still backing himself and believes that he is a better coach now than he was when he won the domestic double. 

“I’m not one for quitting. I am all or nothing. I’m a fighter and a better coach than in 2012, although you cannot see that in the table.” 

The board are also steadfastly backing the coach but dissent is growing among the fans. “I totally understand the criticism,” Klopp added. “The whistles are completely normal but anyone who boos has to question whether it helps. The situation doesn’t feel catastrophic to me.” 

The underlying feeling around the club is not one of anger but one of bemusement.

The winter break is not far around the corner now and will provide some much-needed respite. Many BVB stars had lengthy summers at the World Cup and have been visibly suffering, unable to keep up the high-intensity football that made them famous. 

But, Dortmund still have four games to come before Christmas - starting with Hoffenheim on Friday. They must start winning immediately or their season will be restricted to simply saving themselves from an unthinkable relegation.