Jurgen Klopp may have to delve into the January transfer market with gusto and hope that someone can save Borussia Dortmund from their current predicament. It may just take one new face to liven up the mood in the camp and save their campaign.
After coming out as underdogs and winning the Bundesliga twice in a row, as well as reaching a Champions League final, Borussia Dortmund have earned the respect of most people in the footballing world.
Yet, their current league campaign has been the most dreadful in recent years and they’ve been dragged into the relegation battle, soaring in & out of the bottom three. Their Champions League quest has been surprisingly smooth, recording 4 wins and topping their respective group. It’s like an entirely different face to the Dortmund side, visibly playing with much greater confidence.
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Unless they manage to win the Champions League, qualification for next season would be very difficult since they’re now 12 points off the top four. Considering that their next opponent in Champions League will be Italian giants Juventus, even a quarter-final position is far from secure.
Despite all of Klopp’s failures this season, fans have been unrelenting in their support. Around 15,000 Dortmund fans travelled to Berlin, only to see their team lose 1-0 to the home team. Yet, no chants calling for Klopp’s resignation were heard. There were no eulogies calling for life after Klopp, rather persevering songs of a better tomorrow.
Losing some of his best players over the years and lacking the huge financial support that the big teams boast of, it would be distasteful to blame Klopp for Dortmund’s current situation. Add the fact that BVB is riddled with injuries, it only adds to the manager’s woes.
Jakub Blaszczykowsky, one of his key players, has recently returned to action after an entire year out with a knee injury. Shinji Kagawa returned to Dortmund a damaged player after his spell at United, and seems a shadow of his former self. Mkhitaryan, too, was ruled out for a month and a half after tearing his hamstring during the Hertha Berlin game. Dortmund’s star player, Marco Reus, who is subject to constant transfer rumours away from the club, is also out on the side lines.
With all these injuries and the continual exodus of star players away from the club, Klopp cannot possibly be held responsible for BVB’s woes.
