By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Borussia Dortmund remains German football's biggest mystery. The quality of the squad has rarely been higher, but the team continues to come unstuck at key moments. Just like last season, the 2012 German champions are finding it difficult to see off smaller teams.
The club is mired in a controversial debate about its team's mentality, with question marks over both the choice of Marco Reus as captain and coach Lucien Favre's reluctant character.
After a superb 4-0 Bundesliga victory against national rivals Bayer Leverkusen and a spirited 0-0 draw against Spanish giants FC Barcelona in the Champions League, applause couldn't have been more euphoric. However, after losing 3-1 to newly-promoted Union Berlin and drawing 2-2 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, an atmosphere of growing tension took hold of the entire side.
"We don't act like a top team as we continue to gamble away what we have gained," rued managing director Michael Zorc.
Zorc must have at least one eye on last season, when Dortmund frittered away a nine-point title lead to finish second to Bayern Munich after performing inconsistently when crossing swords with smaller teams.
Things were said to change in time for the 2019-20 season, after the club announced its intention to win the Bundesliga title. It seemed the right time to express self-confidence after big money was spent adding Mats Hummels, Julian Brandt and Nico Schulz to a side already containing the quality of Reus, Axel Witsel, Paco Alcacer, and Jadon Sancho.
German media now assume the Dortmund side to be rife with overconfidence, leading to a dangerous state of complacency.
The tabloid Bild assumed Reus to be the wrong choice as team captain, with the 30-year-old having won only one title (the German Cup) in his career. The paper instead recommended Hummels or Witsel as the team's leader.
Zorc rejected demands to replace Reus, but said he was convinced the forward would show more leadership skills in the future. Reus' recent performances have been far from convincing, as he missed several chances against Barcelona, including a penalty.
Coach Favre spoke of his team being satisfied too early in games after having achieved a narrow lead, and has demanded more effort and workrate from his players.
Some assume the club's announcement of wanting to win the title is turning out to be too heavy a load for the team to bear.
Meanwhile, Zorc talks of a lack of determination, efficiency, and accuracy, but excludes coach Favre from his criticism. However, the Swiss remains under fire and is accused of not motivating his team adequately after losing ground in the Bundesliga.
"It is a reason to be concerned when our players admit that their opponents showed more fight," Zorc said.
Upcoming away games in the Champions League against Slavia Prague and Inter Milan and four Bundesliga clashes in October could prove pivotal to Dortmund's season.
For now, fans and officials are keeping their fingers crossed for a speedy return from injury for Hummels, with the team needing all the experience it can muster in order to get back to winning ways. Enditem
