Borussia Dortmund have been surprise strugglers in the top five European leagues this season. The team that won the Bundesliga title twice in a row only a few years ago has been dismantled completely after the departure of players like Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze in subsequent summers. The team even reached the Champions League final a few years ago. In order to reclaim the glory days, the club invested more than € 50 million on several new players in the summer. It appears that the presence of many new players has worked to the detriment of the team.
They have managed just two wins from the opening seven matches of the season. As a result, they sit 13th in the table – just a few places above the relegation zone. Jurgen Klopp has been one of the standout managers in the last few years. He has been able to work wonders with the Dortmund team despite being on a limited budget. He has also turned down several offers to manage top teams during this period. There has been speculation that he may finally decide to leave Dortmund after being in charge for more than five years.
Dortmund CEO Hans Joachim-Watzke says that the performances of the team will start to improve and that this is only a temporary blip. “It is obvious that some players have reached their limit. This is understandable, they are not machines. Jurgen Klopp is absolutely the right man for Dortmund,” said Chief Executive. Captain Mats Hummels was also quick to back the manager during these troubled times. “There are always times in a season where form dips. We’re not going to go crazy about it,” said the defender. Still, the club has been doing well in the Champions League campaign and are now favourites to progress to the knockout stages as winners.