Borussia Dortmund didn’t just lose today, they lost ugly.
That’s been a theme this season, and a 2-0 thumping at the hands of 9th placed Frankfurt has the club back to a dark, dark place.
It appeared a hard-worked 1-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach in early November that brought Dortmund not only off the bottom but out of the relegation zone was a turning point. Now, they’re back where they started.
It was yet another mistake-riddled, porous, and listless performance, which sent Die Schwarzgelben home without a goal sitting on just four scores in its last five matches. They now have losses to teams in 8th, 9th, 12th, and 17th positions in the last two months.
Need proof of performance? Here’s Frankfurt’s second goal. Reminder: Dortmund is in yellow.
Yikes. The worst part is that the Dortmund fans - who made headlines for their steadfast support of the team despite the dark times - are beginning to crack.
Breaking. Borussia Dortmund team greeted with whistles when approaching #bvb block. Sour. pic.twitter.com/qrT2IZewwl
— Mark Lovell (@LovellLowdown) November 30, 2014
Jurgen Klopp is flabbergasted at what is taking place at his club. “I can understand the resentment of the fans,” Klopp said after the match. “It is totally okay for today. The team still tried everything.”
“Tired everything” is the key there. As things continue to go wrong, Klopp is running out of ideas. Even those within the club are questioning how to proceed. With playmaker Marco Reus out for another long spell with ankle ligament tears, the team is struggling to create to make up for one of the Bundesliga’s leakiest defenses.
Just 18 months removed from an appearance in the Champions League final, Dortmund now finds themselves firmly entrenched in a relegation battle. While Manuel Pellegrini reminded us today that “nobody is champion in December,” the same rings true for relegation. But the season’s clock continues to click. Can they recover?