It has been a less than ideal season for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga so far. While they may have not been title favorites, going into the season they were widely regarded as second-best in Germany. Much was expected from a side that has sustained success over the past half a decade under Jürgen Klopp, playing attractive football and winning too. Instead, they have just seven points from eight matches, the sort of form that speaks more to relegation than to challenging for the top spots in Germany.
On April 24, 2013 Dortmund defeated Real Madrid 4-1 and were set for a trip to Wembley for the Champions League final. No result has been celebrated so grandly in Westphalia since.
That night, Dortmund needed just 44 percent of the ball to outshoot Real 14-9. Robert Lewandowski had all four BVB goals in the domination. Mario Götze assisted one of goals, but the news that he would be going to Bayern Munich followed shortly after, devastating the fans.
Next Lewandowski took off for Bayern, leaving on a free this summer. But despite their top striker leaving, Dortmund had a decent enough transfer window. Two solid forwards in Adrian Rámos and Ciro Immobile were purchased, and bringing back fan favorite Shinji Kagawa had supporters of Die Schwarzgelben thinking they may reclaim the Meisterschale from the Bavarians.
Instead five losses, including three straight, sees the club sitting 14th, just two points above the relegation zone. Meanwhile, top rivals and league leaders Bayern Munich keep cruising along. The Bavarians have yet to lose, dominating most matches to leave them with a plus-19 goal difference.
Seven points off a Champions League place, Klopp has been less than pleased with his team's style. "We played a kind of football that is absolutely pointless," Klopp said after the latest loss, 2-1 at newly promoted FC Köln.
The loss is typical of this Bundesliga campaign for BVB. Dortmund played a short passing game that didn't optimize their strengths. Klopp's team had more possession and shots, but ultimately a few key individual errors led to the loss. Give credit to Köln for making 31 tackles, many in and around the penalty area.
Köln went up 1-0 in the 39th minute. Mats Hummels went forward attempting to clear the ball about 35 yards from goal, but when the defender lost the header to Marcel Risse, Kevin Vogt only had the keeper to beat.
Dortmund leveled it minutes after half-time, with Marco Reus assisting Immobile after pressing caused a Köln turnover in their own half. Köln right back Pawel Olkowski was going forward, but made a bad pass and was caught out of position, leading to a two-on-one on Dortmund's attacking left.
Simon Zoller made it 2-1 in favor of Köln in the 73rd minute, and poor decision making again was to blame for Dortmund. Yuya Osako crossed it into the middle of the area, and Weidenfeller went out to either catch or punch the ball, but he completely missed. it fell to Simon Zoller, who finished into an empty net.
Klopp introduced forwards Ramos and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang late in the game, but they were unable to make a difference. Dortmund simply didn't have enough firepower to overcome their blunders.
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Teams, even those gunning for titles, can be forgiven for having an off day. But seeing as Dortmund have failed to win in the league since September 13th, there is real cause for concern. Yet there's evidence that BVB still have the tools to dominate a match.
While their league form has been horrible, Dortmund sit atop Group D in the Champions League, and have yet to concede a goal. They dominated Arsenal at home in a 2-0 win, then traveled to Anderlecht and picked up a 3-0 victory. On to Istanbul, where they beat Galatasaray 4-0. In these three performances they have been utterly dominant, which makes the league form even more puzzling.
Injuries have no doubt played a part in the team's inconsistency. Ilkay Gündogan and Marco Reus returned from long injury layoffs to face Köln, but were nowhere near top form. The multitude of injuries plaguing the squad limited Klopp, with just six substitutes named on the bench for that match.
Klopp's style has been cramped by these injuries. After being out for over a year, Gündogan finally returned against Köln. He may not have been at his best, but it's clear that the midfielder, an instrumental part of the squad that made it to the Champions League final, keeps the team ticking.
Nuri Sahin is another invaluable member of the squad, but a knee injury and resulting surgery has meant he's yet to see the pitch this season. The Turkey international may have spent time at Real Madrid and Liverpool, but after returning to Dortmund, he appeared in every Bundesliga match last season. He knows the way Klopp wants to play and he fits into the culture of the club.
And knowing how to play Klopp's game is essential. A key facet of Klopp's Dortmund has always been the pressing. Cries of "Lauf! Lauf! Lauf!" (Run!) are frequently heard from the boss as he paces the touchline. Their rapid counter attacks have devastated teams. While pace isn't an issue for this Dortmund squad, as players like Jakob Błaszczykowski and Aubameyang aren't lacking in that department, age certainly might be working against them.
Dortmund have always covered more distance than their opponents under Klopp, working their socks off despite not always having the best passing percentages. Naturally, a high-press counter attack is going to require more sprinting than a possession-based game. This could well account for the rise in injuries, as the traditionally young team gets older. And without the resources of teams like Bayern, Dortmund are without much quality depth behind their starters.
And even their starters aren't as talented as we've seen in recent years. As Atlético showed last year in the Champions League, a manager can only go so far with limited financial backing. Players like Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Rámos are solid, but they aren't Lewandowski and Götze. Now, Marco Reus is their top attacker. He is at his best when the opponents have to split their defensive focus between him as well as another player, meaning he's not quite the threat Dortmund are needing. Perhaps they simply won't be able to overcome the recent losses of star players.
More Champions League
More Champions League
Maybe the desire to compete with Bayern -- the seemingly unsinkable Bayern -- has waned. The Champions League results show that the players Klopp has are elite and that his tactics still work. Perhaps the focus is on European football rather than domestic competition this season. Or maybe there's just a direct correlation between the manager wearing a suit rather than a Borusse! hoodie that leads to victory.
In the most recent match, against Galatasaray, the Black and Yellows had their collective foot on the gas from the get-go. Aubameyang opened the scoring just six minutes in. Then in the eighteenth minute, he doubled the advantage, slamming in a ball from the right wing. Kagawa got credited for an assist on the third goal, but Marco Reus' curling effort from about 30 yards was a brilliant individual piece of skill. Substitutes Gündogan and Rámos combined for the fourth and final goal.
From fans, to players, to pundits and coaches, everyone is scratching their heads over Dortmund's inconsistent form. Clearly there isn't one single answer as there isn't one single problem. Part of it is surely injuries. Motivation and focus on other objectives may be another reason for poor league form. The psychological effect of knowing that your best players are never far from being poached by Bayern, wondering just how long Reus will last.
Even the loss of talent and the plethora of injuries is unlikely to keep Dortmund down at the bottom of the Bundesliga. With their injury crisis subsiding, and on the back of another Champions League domination, BVB's fortunes could well reverse themselves this weekend, when they host Hannover. If Dortmund want a strong Bundesliga finish this season, it's still well within their reach.
But that win over Hannover is crucial, as it's a trip to Bayern up after that.