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Accustomed to elite status, Borussia Dortmund mired in Bundesliga cellar
There is a Borussia Dortmund shirt exhibition on at the moment, with 32 shirts displayed from 1966 to 2014. The venue is a Catholic church in Dortmund and above the entrance in the building are the words, in big black and yellow letters: “Church, football, trust in God.”
Dortmund has slumped to the bottom of the Bundesliga, and, with coach Jurgen Klopp struggling to find answers, some fans might want to start looking for divine inspiration.
How has this happened? How can a team that has been in the top two in Germany for the last four years, reached the Champions League final only 18 months ago and played Arsenal off the pitch as recently as September, lose eight games in its first 13 league matches, and be on a current sequence of one win in seven (and that, you may remember, was courtesy of an own goal from Borussia Monchengladbach’s Christoph Kramer with a 40-yard lob over his own goalkeeper)?
Inside the SuperClubs: Bayern Munich
Dortmund has been unlucky with injuries, it’s true, but it was missing six first-team players from the Arsenal win, and that did not bother the club then. The short answer is that at both ends of the pitch, the team is not what it was. Firstly, the defense is missing center backs Mats Hummels and Sokratis, while Neven Subotic is recently back from nine months out with knee ligament damage, and it shows.
Defensive errors have crept in and all of the back five, including normally reliable goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, have made regular mistakes that have led to goals.
Then there is the loss of Robert Lewandowski, who followed Mario Gotze as the team’s jewel moving to Bayern Munich. There has been no direct replacement for him, and Marco Reus, the one player who gives it flair, invention and pace in attack, has only played four games so far this season while he deals with regular injury concerns.
The Reus story is compelling on and off the pitch: on it, when he plays, he makes his teammates play better, and the team lacks confidence without him. Off it, stories about his future have dominated the backdrop to the season, with Der Speigel reporting that, last December, Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge made a secret pact with Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke that if it allowed Lewandowski to join Bayern on a free transfer last summer (and not join Real Madrid for a fee last January, as was proposed), it would not enter the bidding for Reus.
“There is no issue with Reus and Bayern, and there have been no talks,” the player’s advisor Dirk Hebel told Bild.
Last weekend, Dortmund lost 2-0 to Eintracht Frankfurt and just as in previous defeats, it played decently, created chances but failed to take them. This time, though, after conceding the first goal, a nervousness kicked in. “More freak show material” was how Klopp referred to Frankfurt’s second goal, when Mathias Ginter headed a long ball over Weidenfeller to allow Haris Seferovic to gratefully tap home.
There seemed a change in the mood after this result: Klopp said he had no intention of resigning, though even answering such a question without a smart-aleck remark seemed out of character; sports director Michael Zorc admitted the team is in a relegation battle; defender/midfielder/winger Kevin Grosskreutz, who sums up Dortmund’s working-class ethos (last year he admitted he slept in a bedroom bedecked in the club colors), posted a long apology on Instagram, with a promise for better times: “It hurts my soul… we have failed as a team… We need you [the fans] for it… Borussia Dortmund will never go down!”
Is this the biggest challenge of Klopp’s career?
“No,” he told BT Sport when asked, referring to his fights against relegation at Mainz. “Our problem is not a problem. Our problem is the solution.”
But that was before Dortmund lost its last two games and slipped to the bottom. Dortmund will not sack Klopp, and nor should it.
“I don’t need a vote of confidence, I’ve had it a thousand times before. The team needs it now,” he told the German press this week. “It’s a little tough at the moment, and we’ve got to be ready for that. I am.”
Best soccer tifos from around the world
Galatasaray fans display a sensational "Rocky" tifo ahead of their clash against rival Fenerbahce. It didn't inspire a victory, though. The Turkish rivals played to a 0-0 draw.
Borussia Dortmund fans channel their 1963 cup triumph over Benfica ahead of the teams' second leg in the Champions League round of 16 at Signal Iduna Park.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans turn to Moses for tifo inspiration, with his splitting the Red Sea illustrating how "impossible is nothing" in their Europa League series against Besiktas.
Fans of Tunisia's Club Africain display this pointed tifo at a friendly against PSG, whose Qatari owners have pumped millions and millions into the club.
U.S. fans in Columbus, Ohio, make a "One Nation, One Team" statement ahead of the USMNT's World Cup qualifying match against Mexico on November 11, 2016.
Germany fans display their heart for the team colors ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Czech Republic in October 2016.
Italy fans spell out their support for the Azzurri ahead of a massive World Cup qualifier vs. Spain in October 2018.
Iceland fans keep up their world-famous passion for the national team during a World Cup qualifier against Turkey in October 2016.
Fans in the United Arab Emirates set their sights on reaching the 2018 World Cup in Russia during a qualifying match vs. Australia in September 2016.
Colombia fans send a massive jersey around the stadium during a World Cup qualifier vs. Venezuela in September 2016.
Seattle Sounders fans turn to Game Of Thrones for inspiration in a game against the Cascadia rival Vancouver Whitecaps in September 2016.
Djurgardens fans go all out in Sweden for a match against AIK in September 2016.
Zulte Waregem fans prepare Kortrijk for the absolute worst in this Belgian top-flight match in September 2016.
Seattle Sounders fans turn their pop culture reference to Poltergeist in March 2016 ahead of the season home opener against Sporting Kansas City.
The Timbers Army doubles down on their Eastbound and Down theme, adding another wrinkle during the club's MLS Western Conference final first leg vs. FC Dallas on November 22, 2015 at Providence Park.
Fans make a French flag tifo at Wembley Stadium during the singing of Le Marseillaise ahead of England's friendly vs. France, which took place days after the terrorist attacks in Paris.
The Timbers Army referenced Eastbound & Down's Kenny Powers with their "Cup Bound and Down" tifo for the Portland Timbers' MLS playoff elimination game against Sporting Kansas City on October 29, 2015.
Brondby IF fans display a gladiator holding up a lion's head during the team's Danish Alka Superliga match against FC Copenhagen, whose logo is a lion's head, on September 27, 2015.
New England Revolution fans equate Jermaine Jones to Indiana Jones on their quest to capture the 2015 MLS Cup on September 26, 2015.
New England Revolution fans display a Lion King theme in honor of Orlando City FC's first visit to Gillette Stadium on September 5, 2015.
Red Bulls fans take a shot at NYCFC's two summer arrivals, 37-year-old Frank Lampard and 36-year-old Andrea Pirlo, ahead of their third MLS meeting of 2015.
Germany fans in Cologne salute their World Cup champions ahead of a friendly against the United States in June, 2015.
Real Madrid fans went all out prior to the second leg of the 2014-15 Champions League semifinal vs. Juventus.
Lazio fans display a stunning eagle tifo ahead of the Rome derby against AS Roma in their penultimate Serie A match of the 2014-15 season.
Barcelona fans bid farewell to veteran midfielder Xavi with this banner at his last league game at Camp Nou before he departs for Qatari club Al Sadd.
Fans at Anfield pay tribute to Steven Gerrard in his final home match as a Liverpool player in May 2015.
Juventus fans state their case to beat Real Madrid in the 2014-15 Champions League semifinals and reach the final in Berlin.
Fans at Benfica's Estadio da Luz remind rival Porto who the Primeira Liga reigning champion is during an April 2015 match in Portugal.
New York Red Bulls fans send a pointed message to their NYCFC counterparts prior to the teams' first MLS meeting in May, 2015.
Inter Milan's Curva Nord announces its presence ahead of the April 2015 Derby della Madonnina–the annual clashes between city rivals Inter and AC Milan.
Bayern Munich fans implore their club to (translated) "Never give up" in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg vs. Porto. Bayern then turned a 3-1 first-leg deficit into a 7-4 aggregate win and a place in the semifinals.
Dortmund fans commemorate their 1997 Champions League trophy in the club's clash vs. Juventus–the opponent on the wrong side of that title bout.
Portland Timbers fans speak out against homophobia with this tifo in a 2013 match against Chivas USA
Atletico's supporters display a banner reading "Atleti crushes" before the Spanish league match between Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid,
Borussia Dortmund fans put on a remarkable display ahead of a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg match.
Brondby IF fans unveil a tifo ahead of a match in Denmark against Randers FC.
FC Barcelona fans display a huge banner in memory of former head coach Tito Vilanova.
Galatasaray fans support their team during the UEFA Champions League Group D match between Borussia Dortmund and Galatasaray at the Turk Telekom Arena in Istanbul.
The American Outlaws unveil a huge tifo ahead of a 2014 World Cup send-off match between the USA and Turkey at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
Marseille's supporters use paper sheets to create an "OM" (Olympique de Marseille) tifo at the beginning of the French L1 football match between Marseille and Genoble.
Seattle Sounders fans display their tifo that shows coach Sigi Schmid playing cards and holding a Royal Flush before a match against the Portland Timbers.
Panathinaikos Athens fans display a banner during the UEFA Europa League match against Dynamo Moscow.
Fans of the Saudi Al-Hilal team celebrate after the scoring of a goal against Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor.
Seattle Sounders fans unveil a tifo inspired from the “Build a Bonfire” chant, featuring Sounder players holding torches on horseback ahead of a game against the Portland Timbers.
Fans of Hertha BSC before the Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and Werder Bremen in Berlin.
Sporting Kansas City fans channel their inner Mario ahead of the 2013 MLS Cup final vs. Real Salt Lake.
Brondby IF fans.
Thousands of Barcelona fans hold up cards to spell out "Barca! Orgull," which translates to "Barcelona pride" ahead of a Champions League clash with Bayern Munich at Camp Nou.
Fans raise a tifo celebrating “Community, Club and Country” ahead of a CONCACAF Gold Cup match between the USA and Belize in Portland, Oregon.
Vitesse fans unfurl a massive Eagle banner at the Dutch Eredivisie match against Ajax at the GelreDome.
Valencia fans drape a banner featuring a king for a Copa del Rey ("The King's Cup) match against Atletico Madrid.
Juventus fans make a statement in Turin in a match vs. Inter Milan.
Dortmund fans put on another strong display at a Bundesliga match against Mainz 05.
German fans boast the newest star earned by the national team, symbolizing its 2014 World Cup triumph, at a Euro 2016 qualifying match in Dortmund.
Real Madrid fans make a point to display the club's 10 European championships ahead of the October 2014 clash against rival Barcelona at the Bernabeu.
San Jose Earthquakes fans unleash a massive tifo to mark the opening of Avaya Stadium, MLS's newest soccer-specific venue, in March 2015.
Barcelona fans show all who the real 12th man is ahead of the March 2015 Clásico vs. Real Madrid.
Ahead of a clash with Mexican foe Monterrey, Tigres players are treated by this message by its fervent supporters.
Standard Liege fans have a pointed message for Steven Defour, who departed the club for Belgian rival Anderlecht.
Orlando City fans mark their club's inaugural MLS game vs. fellow expansion side New York City FC with a statement that the Lions' "reign begins now."
Real Madrid fans salute Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo after he captured the most prestigious individual prize in world soccer again.
Vitesse fans pay homage to Operation Market Garden ahead of an Eredivisie match against SC Heerenveen.
Sevilla's fans deploy a giant banner in the stands before the UEFA Europa league final match between Benfica and Sevilla.
Fans in Liverpool’s Kop End at Anfield commemorate those lost in the Hillsborough disaster.
Lyon fans during a game against Saint Etienne.
Nor will he resign; not midseason (not his style) and, as most fans think, not at the end of the season, despite his comments to in the BT interview that he could see himself as a coach in England. He is contractually committed to Dortmund until 2018, and fans believe that the troubles of this season make it even more likely that he will stay to correct things for next year, that he wouldn't want to leave the club on such a low point.
Klopp is insisting this is not about him – “I have no emergency scenario of how to get out of here with my head held high to save my reputation,” he said – but we are at the point where we can no longer presume that Dortmund will start to climb the table.
It is still only 10 points away from fourth place and a Champions League qualifying chance, but this is not on the club’s agenda. Klopp’s future, and Marco Reus’, can wait for another day. Hoffenheim, in seventh, comes to Dortmund to play Friday night. The ambition is simply to get out of the bottom three. And that, if the previous 13 games are anything to go by, will be easier said than done.
A journalist, broadcaster and consultant, Ben Lyttleton also wrote the book on PKs with his “Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Penalty Kick.”