At the beginning of the Bundesliga season, Dortmund looked like they were ready to once again challenge Bayern Munich for the title German top-flight title.
As so often is the case, though, BVB have shot themselves in the foot in recent weeks in the Bundesliga. One win from their last four matches in the German top-flight is not a great record.
It seems that Dortmund are prone to these sorts of hiccups, that is why they have failed to knock Bayern off their perch in recent years. The Bavarians were in transition last season under a new boss in Nico Kovac.
As with Dortmund, Bayern have habits too, though, but theirs are habits of coming back from the seemingly dead and claiming the German title. The reigning champions are top and it is not inconceivable that they could stay there for the rest of the season.
Dortmund needs to rediscover the sort of form that saw them threaten to run away with the league last season. BVB have to find the mental steel that seems to have been missing in recent seasons.
Forward Marco Reus recently felt the need to defend the team’s mentality, after some fans and members of the media questioned their mental strength following their 2-2 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt.
However, the proof is in the results and their ability to maintain leads in games and title races. Lucian Favre’s team needs to toughen up, especially as Julian Nagelsmann’s RB Leipzig have started the season in a decent manner.
Despite slipping to eighth place in the Bundesliga, Dortmund are still only three points off the top of the German top-flight table. A trip to this season’s surprise-package Freiburg awaits BVB on Saturday afternoon.
Even at this stage of the season, Dortmund cannot afford to fall any further behind, or it could be another case of BVB being the nearly-men of the Bundesliga when it comes to winning the title.