Reasons Why Borussia Dortmund Are Experiencing Problems In The Bundesliga

Although Borussia Dortmund’s win over St Pauli in the DFB-Pokal eased some tensions, problems still remain, as Dortmund have made a terrible start to the Bundesliga season. Already 14 points behind league-leading Bayern Munich, Dortmund have only won two out of their opening nine games of the season. On the other hand, they are sitting top of their Champions League group, including a superb performance at the Westfalenstadion against Arsenal. It is easy to blame a multitude of injuries and the loss of Robert Lewandowski for their struggles. However, there are other problems which need addressing if they are to recover and gain a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Admittedly, injuries are the quick scapegoat as to why Dortmund have been so poor domestically. Having seen deep-lying playmaker Ilkay Gundogan out for almost all of last season affected Dortmund, but Nuri Sahin has filled in quite well, showing the type of form which saw Real Madrid sign him. Injuries to Neven Subotic and Lukasz Piszczek have weakened the Dortmund backline. Piszczek has only recently started to show the type of quality form expected of him – excellent going forward and solid defensively. Subotic, on the other hand, is struggling. Mats Hummels has been a target for the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona in the past few seasons, but Dortmund fans will tell you that Subotic has also been excellent in Dortmund’s rise. Two seasons ago, as Hummels passed through a poor run of form, Subotic put in solid displays. Unfortunately, not as many people noticed. Now, Dortmund is suffering due to his performances.

Another problem exaggerated by many are the arrivals of Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos. Robert Lewandowski was exceptional for Dortmund, and at times last season, single-handedly carried the team with his goalscoring ability. Lewandowski fit the style of the team, and even though in his first season at the club, he was behind Lucas Barrios in the pecking order, Lewandowski made an impact off the bench. The very next season, he was starting for the club. His running ability and link up play was admired by many.

His “replacement”, Serie A top scorer Immobile is a different type of player. First of all, Immobile must be applauded for his stunning season last year with Torino, against the likes of Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain, who play for Juventus and Napoli respectively. A classic ‘in-the-box’ striker, his ability in the penalty box is second to none. Nevertheless, his goal against Arsenal in the Champions League showcased his ability – quick in acceleration and superb in finishing. Naturally, it will take time for him to completely settle into the team and his goalscoring record for Dortmund is hardly bad.

On a side note, it could easily be argued that Dortmund miss the influence of Mario Gotze more than Lewandowski, a player who led the team forward, playing in the No. 10 role.

A real difference between Dortmund’s Champions League and Bundesliga opposition is the style of play. In the Champions League, football is usually played at a slower tempo and a greater number of teams play a rather attack-minded, if not expansive, type of football.

In the Bundesliga, teams are starting to understand Dortmund’s deficiencies. Leaving no gaps, they are committed in shutting off Dortmund by sitting deep. With the high-tempo style of Dortmund’s play, errors naturally occur and opposition teams in the Bundesliga have taken full advantage. At times, Dortmund’s finishing has let them down, but the same excuse cannot be used every time.

In contrast, the Champions League has shown the best out of Dortmund. Arsenal visited Signal Iduna Park and tried playing their style – a possession game in which the defensive midfielders are central midfielders trying to link play with the attacking three behind the striker. The space between the back four and the defensive midfield was exploited by Dortmund and they could have won by a larger 2-0 scoreline.

If given space, Dortmund will still punish you. The display they showed at their peak, defeating Mourinho’s Real Madrid 4-1 at the same stadium back in 2013 showed Dortmund at their best. On that night, they were relentless, fearless, playing with absolute passion.

Dortmund’s poor defending has also been a cause for concern this season. Matthias Ginter was signed from SC Freiburg as a young center-back who could gain experience, leading the defense in the future. Having been part of Germany’s World Cup winning squad (although he did not play a single minute) the future looks bright for Ginter. So far, this has not been the case. His worst performance came against Bayer Leverkusen at home, where Dortmund lost 2-0. This is not something unusual, as the pressure of playing for a big team can be overwhelming for a young player, with Ginter only 20.

Unfortunately for Dortmund, they need players to be able to perform at this time. Subotic’s return from injury has seen him struggle to retain his best form. This leaves Sokratis Papastathapoulos, who has often played at right-back in the absence of Piszczek. Dortmund’s style of football also sees them leave gaps in their defense. Playing at a rigorous tempo with a high-line can be exploited on the counter, as teams have done. A possible solution for Jurgen Klopp is to slightly change his team’s playing style at periods of games, possibly recuperating energy and controlling the tempo.

Dortmund have the mettle to recover and a coach who can help guide his team back to form. However, injuries to key player such as Kuba Blaszczykowski and Marco Reus have affected the team, but they still have enough quality in their ranks to do better. Klopp must be open to changing his team’s style of play to ensure every type of opposition doesn’t know exactly how to set up against Dortmund.

A key element to their play is the ability to drag opposition players towards one side of the pitch, and then to quickly switch play to the opposite side of the pitch and open up the field. With tight defenses, this sort of play is not possible. Dortmund have sufficient time to rescue their season, a failure to do so could see star players moving to other clubs.

One thing is for sure though – write Dortmund off at your peril.