The mentality problem that lingers at Borussia Dortmund | OneFootball

Since Borussia Dortmund last won the Bundesliga title under Jürgen Klopp during the 2012/13 season, there have been relentless accusations made about the mentality at the Westfalenstadion.

Losing out on title charges

A number of times over the past decade, BvB have been on the verge of lifting the Meisterschale.

The most notable campaigns in which Die Schwarzgelben had the league title in their hands were the 2018/19 season and the 2022/23 campaign.

However, in both instances, as the title race came down to the final stretch, it would all go horribly wrong for Dortmund.

Defeats to Bayern Munich and their fierce Revierderby rivals Schalke 04 cost them in 2019, while Der Rekordmeister scuppered them once again in 2022, with draws against Schalke, VfL Bochum, and Mainz costing Die Schwarzgelben tremendously.

The common theme in these examples were high-intensity derby games—against Schalke and Bochum—or their visits to Bavaria.

When the going got tough, Dortmund often hid away, and issues regarding their mentality would rear their ugly head once again.

However, last year, this changed.

Victory at Bayern Munich

While Die Schwarzgelben were not in the title race last season, they were in a fight for the fifth Champions League spot in the Bundesliga.

On matchday 27, they travelled to the Allianz Arena and, ironically, all but ended Bayern’s title hopes, handing the title over to Bayer Leverkusen.

Die Schwarzgelben had not earned themselves the Meisterschale, but they had finally won in Munich, and they had proven that they could win in the big games.

As well as this, they had reached the Champions League final, and suggestions that the mentality problems at the Westfalenstadion started to fade away.

The re-emergence of Borussia Dortmund’s mentality issues

This season, however, BvB have retaken the mantle as Germany’s most feeble side, and against Holstein Kiel, this was highlighted more than ever.

Speaking to Sky Germany after their defeat to the Bundesliga relegation strugglers, Nuri Şahin commented on the mentality of his Dortmund side:

“We are not staying clear. It was to be expected that Kiel would play like this; we had not prepared anything else. You then concede the first goal from your own throw-in and then twice when you simply play into the centre, without any protection, without properly preparing it. That’s what we’ve been discussing for three or four days. Then it hurts everywhere in the Bundesliga. It was an absolute non-performance.”

On a cold night in northern Germany, Dortmund hid, and this has been plaguing Şahin’s side all season.

It is no longer the big games in which Die Schwarzgelben are struggling; it is almost always when they are on their travels.

Based on home form, Dortmund are top of the Bundesliga table, but on away form, they are thirteenth, a drastic fall-off.

Away from home, BvB collapse, and all the hard work they put in during the week is completely ignored.

Şahin has taken the blame for this, with speculation regarding his future rife, but it is clear to see that at home, his game plan works.

Therefore, where does the blame lie?

Is it Şahin’s fault for not preparing his side for a difficult atmosphere? Is it the players’ fault for hiding away in tough moments? Is it a mixture of both? Or is there a larger issue at play that is plaguing Dortmund behind the scenes?

Either way, whatever it is, it has to stop; otherwise, BvB will continue to fall, and dreams of lifting the Meisterschale will feel like a lifetime away—if they do not already.

GGFN | Will Shopland