AFTER a flying start to the 2017/18 season, Borussia Dortmund’s form has fallen off a cliff.
The German side surrendered top spot in the Bundesliga and are on the brink of Champions League elimination after no wins from four group stage games.
After another summer of upheaval, which saw a change of manager and the sale of star player Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona following a drawn-out transfer saga, BVB’s fine start to the campaign took many by surprise and raised expectations.
But now Dortmund are struggling both domestically and in Europe, and must quickly find solutions to their poor form.
Our friends at Football Whispers have taken a look at what has gone wrong for the Black and Yellows.
Seven games into the new Bundesliga season, Dortmund were riding high; top of the table, unbeaten and five points clear of champions Bayern Munich, whose own inconsistent displays saw Carlo Ancelotti’s reign at the Allianz Arena cut short after little more than a year in charge.
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What’s more, they had scored 21 goals in that period, and conceded only two. It seemed as though new manager Peter Bosz, who guided Ajax to the Europa League final last season, had found the recipe for ending Bayern’s five-year monopoly of the German top flight, with BVB fluent in attack and solid defensively.
However, in the three league games they have played since their 2-1 win away at Augsburg in late-September, Dortmund are winless. Their first defeat of the season came at the hands of last term’s runners-up RB Leipzig at Signal Iduna Park, falling 3-2 to the Red Bull-owned upstarts.
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A disappointing setback, but far from a disastrous loss as Leipzig are among the best sides in the division and will once again figure at the top end of the table come May.
But BVB followed that up by throwing away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Eintracht Frankfurt. They were beaten again last weekend, losing 4-2 to Hannover where they thoroughly outplayed by the newly-promoted team.
And things haven’t been any easier for Dortmund in the Champions League. Drawn in the same group as European champions Real Madrid and Premier League big hitters Tottenham Hotspur, qualifying for the knockout stage was always going to prove difficult.
But defeated by both and, more surprisingly, unable to overcome APOEL Nicosia over two games, drawing twice with the Cypriots, only goal difference is keeping Dortmund off bottom place in the group. They might need to secure a positive result in at least one of their two remaining fixtures, against Madrid and Spurs, to ensure a Europa League place.
At the heart of Dortmund’s recent downfall has been a chronic defensive frailty. In their three-game winless league run, they have conceded nine goals. Although they remain a potent attacking force, shipping an average of three goals per game is unsustainable for even the most deadly of offensive units.
Individual errors are playing a part, with a penalty clumsily conceded in each of their last three Bundesliga outings, while goalkeeper Roman Burki has made a string of costly mistakes. Inexplicably, the Swiss stopper’s poor form was rewarded with a new contract last month.
Thus far, Bosz has been unable to find a tactical solution to BVB’s soft centre. The Dutch coach was criticised during his time in charge of Ajax for being unable to react to adversity and solve problems that presented themselves, particularly in the Europa League final defeat to Manchester United.
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Bosz needs to find a way to shore up his backline, even if it means taking some emphasis away from Dortmund’s thrilling attack.
With their five-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga now eradicated, and Bayern back on top, Dortmund must quickly overcome their recent slump if they are to salvage their flagging season.
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