What’s the matter with Dortmund’s sluggish start to the season?
Published:The Bundesliga is not supposed to be like this. The delicate equilibrium upon which the German top flight is run is being threatened by Borussia Dortmund, languishing 10 points behind perennial title rivals Bayern Munich after seven games.
Having won just twice in accruing seven points so far, Jurgen Klopp’s side have slid all the way out to 12/1 in the Bundesliga outright betting, leaving their Bavarian rivals as concrete 1/16 favourites.
Currently, BVB are German football’s Jekyll and Hyde. Uncompromising in the Champions League, the men in yellow are floundering in the league and it’s an affliction that is bemusing but quantifiable.
Klopp’s available resources are not enough to cope with the demands of two high-quality competitions. A spate of injuries has left Die Borussen operating with a threadbare first-team squad, with their bespectacled boss sometimes forced to field players who aren’t fully fit just to make up the numbers.
While the men that remain at the Westfalenstadion are leaving gaps in the side temporarily, one man whose permanent departure from the club this summer has had arguably the biggest impact.
Dortmund replaced Bayern-defector Robert Lewandowski with Adrian Ramos and Ciro Immobile during the transfer window and the pair have taken time to adapt to their new surroundings.
That much is proved by the fact that of the league-leading 127 shots the side have had this term only 39 have been on target, with the pair of new strikers combining for just three goals.
At the back, individual errors are costing the side dearly, with mistakes being made in the run up to almost all of the 12 league goals they’ve shipped.
With players returning from the physio room, it’s surely just a matter of time before the Black and Yellows surge up the league. How much ground they’ll have to make up on Bayern remains unclear though.
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