Dietmar Hamann didn’t beat around the bush when he was asked by Sky Sports Germany to sum up the performance he had just seen from Borussia Dortmund in their 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night. Known for his dry, blunt analysis the former Liverpool star putting it quite simple: “That was a dead team.”
Indeed, it didn’t take the expertise of a former professional to point that out to anyone that watched the game. Despite scoring the opening goal, star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang refused to celebrate. After the game, the Gabon striker reportedly refused to speak to anyone and stormed off in his Ferrari. The result on the night was just the tip of the iceberg. Things at this club are rotten to the core.
Media speculation has suggested the Dutch coach will have Saturday’s Ruhr derby against Schalke to save his job, but in truth the time to replace Bosz and start from scratch has long passed. And waiting any longer to find an alternative solution to this dreadful season could have serious, long-term consequences.
Perhaps the most obvious fault is with the playing squad at Bosz’s disposal. Not only has he failed to get the best out of a reasonably talented group of players, but the likes of Aubameyang, Julian Weigl and Marc Bartra all seem to have regressed under his tutelage.
Indeed, Dortmund’s defensive line has never looked worse, while the actual in-form players like Christian Pulisic, Andriy Yarmolenko and Nuri Sahin look at odds with what is happening around them. Not only are the team struggling with the new coach’s tactics and systems, but they also look as though they’ve given up trying for him. And that usually means he’s not long for the job.
There’s also the financial implication of Bosz’s misfortunes. Missing out on the knockout rounds of the Champions League and possibly even the Europa League is something Dortmund simply can’t bank on. Not only does it affect their budgets for the following season, but it also limits their ability to hold on to ambitious players like Pulisic and Aubameyang.
Although it’s still too early to predict where the Westfalenstadion side will finish in May, there’s very little to suggest they’ll be able to keep up with the likes of RB Leipzig, Hoffenheim, Schalke and even Borussia Monchengladbach under Bosz.
Ultimately, it comes down whether the club are moving forward or backwards. And while Bosz could still turn things around at Dortmund there seems to be too many moving parts working against him. This club need to get back on track and with the former Ajax coch they’ve already strayed too far from the straight and narrow.
