Borussia Dortmund is in a bit of a results crisis after their third winless game in a row. After the defeat against TSG Hoffenheim, the gap to leaders Leverkusen is already 20 points.
Frustration, disappointment, helplessness – after the first defeat of the year, but the third competitive game without a win in a row, Dortmund players, coaches and fans were visibly disappointed.
Whistles from the stands
Even the most loyal fans in the south stand whistled at their team after the 2:3 (2:1) defeat against Hoffenheim. But it was the way in which BVB gave up the victory that drove the spectators in the stands to despair.
“Based on how the game went, I can understand the whistles,” said a composed Julian Brandt after the defeat against TSG, who had previously been winless in eight games. Visibly crestfallen, the national player added: “That was totally unnecessary. We brought an opponent back to life with sloppy balls. That’s crazy.”
BVB cannot use the competition’s results
To the annoyance of everyone involved, BVB was unable to take advantage of the opportunity in the fight for the Champions League places and was unable to capitalize on the defeat of their pursuers from Leipzig in Munich (1:2) and the draw of the third-place team from Stuttgart against Cologne (1 :1) hit. “This is very disappointing. We wanted to take an important step forward to take fourth place even more clearly,” complained coach Edin Terzic. “Now you run after the music,” added Brandt.
BVB is still only one point ahead of RB Leipzig and has a much more difficult program in the eleven remaining games. “I don’t feel like defeats and draws. We have to win as quickly as possible,” demanded Brandt. To do this, Dortmund must correct a number of mistakes and avoid negligent actions. “We have a difficult decision to make when we want to play and when it makes sense to take the long ball. That’s what annoys me the most, it just annoys me and is difficult to accept,” complained Brandt.
Daniela Müllenborn, Sportschau, February 25, 2024 8:02 p.m
Simple mistakes invite Hoffenheim
BVB carelessly gave up their half-time lead thanks to goals from Donyell Malen (21′) and Nico Schlotterbeck (25′). “In the second half we double or triple our individual mistakes,” Brandt said. Double packer Maximilian Beier (61st and 64th) punished this coldly. Ihlas Bebou (2nd) had previously given the guests the lead after a mistake in the Dortmund backline.
Terzic criticized deficits in “residual defense and protection”. It was entirely BVB’s fault for “letting the opponent get back into the game. That’s extremely frustrating.” They “invited the opponent and created scoring opportunities with little effort.” Hoffenheim accepted the invitation and inflicted a painful home defeat on BVB.
