Ailing Dortmund look to correct free-fall

by Christian Grieb

To say that Borussia Dortmund are having problems right now is an understatement.

Jürgen Klopp’s side are sitting dead last in the league, and seem baffled and overwhelmed mentally in the tough situation they find themselves in. Much debate has been had about the ability of the Ruhr side to climb out of the hole they are in, and an earnest discussion is being had about the faults of the team and the coach. Even through all of this, Dortmund’s boss is resilient.

“The team knows for quite some time that we are currently fighting relegation. We will try to find out in training this week who can cope with this situation and the line-up on Friday will be adjusted accordingly. (…) I have a lot of experience in fighting relegation from Mainz (coach and player).”

Klopp has been in this situation before with his former club Mainz. He has been both on the positive and negative side of a relegation battle. He’s hoping to use his experience to help steer BVB back onto the winning path.

The question is, though, can it be called a relegation battle so early on?

Klopp clearly seems to think so, and so do the fans. The team was not welcomed warmly by the travelling fans following the game against Frankfurt on Sunday. What is clear is the quality that Dortmund possesses in their ranks is still World Class. The bigger issue seems converting that quality to goals. Dortmund have been anything but amazing in front of net, and are desperately looking to correct their scoring woes in order to climb out of the hole they are in. They are averaging roughly a single goal per game.

Welcomed news did come that Mats Hummels was back in full team training. Defensive blunders have caused Dortmund points this season, and they will be looking to get their skipper back in full health as soon as possible.

Klopp also is lauding the mentality of the team, even in this precarious spot:

“Usually teams in this situation have no ambition to play well (just get some points), mistakes don’t matter anymore. That’s the difference with our players, who are still feeling disappointed when a shot doesn’t go in,” resounded Klopp.

The team certainly is looking to turn things around, and many players took to social media to appeal to the fans. Fans are awaiting a reaction from the team this Friday. They will face a Hoffenheim team who possesses plenty of quality and will not be easy to win against.

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