It has been a season of extremes for Borussia Dortmund, of gritty relegation fights and exhilarating wins in the big games.
In fact, the club still has the realistic prospect of silverware. An anomalous year comes to a close for BVB, and in spite of Juergen Klopp’s resignation there is hope they might walk away from this tumultuous ride even stronger.
2014: August, September, October.
Off to a bad start: new signings falter, anxiety surfaces.
It took no more than ten seconds into the new season for Dortmund fans to realise that something about this year’s team was a little different to the outfit of previous years. That is all the time Karim Bellarabi needed to notch up the first goal for his side, which had come at the Westfalenstadion on Leverkusen’s first away trip to inflict a painful home defeat to the Black and Yellows.
Notwithstanding the first setback, BVB bounced back in style in the next two encounters against Augsburg and Freiburg, collecting three points each and thereby residing in 4th position after three matches contested.
The following game against Mainz marked the first watershed moment of the season, when Ciro Immobile – back then still a regular starter – squandered a penalty for Dortmund, who subsequently lost the plot, and, more importantly, the three points.
None of the next four games could be won, including the bitter concession of derby defeat against rivals FC Schalke away. Most supporters expected Dortmund to make up for this one in its own living room against Hamburg, so when Klopp’s boys lost that one too, a sense of bewilderment captured the Westfalenstadion for the first time in the still young season.
Whilst Dortmund had dropped to 12th position in the league, its first Champions League performances looked almost bizarrely confident. Unfortunately for BVB, positive international experiences did not reflect on league performance afterwards. It showed again when FC Koeln heaped misery on Dortmund, who had come off the back of a 3-0 win against Anderlecht. Consequently, Dortmund slid down to 14th on the table. Klopp commended the supporters for their unconditional support, defiant that ‘the fans’ exceptional reaction will help the team to change tack’.
What he did not know at the time was that Dortmund had become caught in a costly downward spiral.
2014: October, November, December
Hitting rock bottom: battered and last, Klopp doubted.
BVB’s losing streak mercilessly continued. Another home defeat and a Munich drubbing later, the Westfalen side found itself second-last in the league. Domestically and internationally, eyebrows were raised at the sight of Dortmund, a side that finished either first or second for four consecutive years, was suddenly embroiled in a fight for the club’s Bundesliga existence.
The first pundits and columnists cast doubt on whether Klopp was still the right head coach to rectify this black and yellow nightmare. Conversely, Dortmund’s CEO was quick to have Klopp’s back, who himself publicly explained that he had no intention to resign and escape his responsibilities.
Sworn in and unified, Dortmund marched into its next battle against Gladbach and almost surprisingly came out on top, but what some considered the long awaited turnaround did not materialise. Instead, after a draw and another disastrous display, this time in Frankfurt, BVB ended matchday 13 at the bottom of the league ladder.
The degree of headlessness and insecurity displayed floored most followers, who desperately looked up to Klopp for answers. The latter made the call to line up Mitch Langerak in Dortmund’s last three games before the winter break. The move did not affect a team utterly stuck in a rut by then.
BVB’s saving grace would become the winter break, into which they would limp after giving away a final defeat in Bremen before Christmas.
2015: February, March, April
Resurrection time: Kampl signed, reformed team stepping it up.
The most crucial winter break in recent BVB history brought about Kevin Kampl, the 24-year old new signing from Salzburg, and ample time to regroup. The coach reorganised the lineup and promoted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang into the attacking role at the expense of Immobile, who as of then was effectively benched for good.
The club’s ambition at this point was singular: avoid relegation by any means.
With the league recommencing, the sharpened side took home a respectable point in Leverkusen, then lost in Augsburg, albeit with a promising performance. It was February already and Dortmund still sat in 18th position.
Away in Freiburg, things finally clicked. Dortmund could harness its newfound confidence and drove Freiburg off the pitch, 3-0. It kick-started a run that can only be described as heart-balm for both players and fans.
Mainz and Stuttgart were easily beaten and things appeared to magically fall into place again. A whopping derby win followed against Schalke, in which players like Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marco Reus at long last showed their strongest performance thus far.
The nimble feet and deft combinations were back, reminiscent of the more prosperous BVB days. Bowing out of the Champions League in the round of 16 against Juve was a small blow, yet nothing too disheartening for Klopp’s side. It had climbed up to tenth by matchday 25, but still shied away from declaring the relegation battle as over.
“Few weeks ago we were still bottom of the league, it would not be wise to suddenly set down new yardsticks for the season. We’re thinking from match to match,” Marco Reus said.
2015: April, May
Sudden Klopp resignation: team responds, clinches cup final and an emotional farewell.
Very much out of the blue, Klopp announced his departure on a grey weekday morning. Not so much because of two defeats against Bayern and Gladbach, but because he felt as though after seven years at the helm he exhausted his capacities to inspire the team.
He boldly announced revamped goals for the season: European qualification and the Cup win. It instigated another victorious streak, almost as if with Klopp’s decision to step down, weight came off the players’ shoulders.
Paderborn and Frankfurt are beaten and Mitch Langerak gets the nod over Roman Weidenfeller, after the Australian’s heroics in the German Cup semi-final win against Bayern Munich. Dortmund’s last-minute surge propelled it up to seventh, which it was ultimately able to cling onto through its final match day, defeating Bremen at home.
After the final whistle, the stadium frenetically celebrated Klopp and his players for sensationally clinching Europa League football. Moments later, the head coach took off his trademark hat in front of the stands and teared up, suddenly realising that this story would soon to come to an end on Saturday in Berlin.
[interaction id=”55656fc528430a5757e02010″]
Or will it be on Sunday afternoon, on top of a bus that slowly tries to find its way through a celebrating crowd in Dortmund’s inner city?
It would certainly be the farewell Klopp had envisioned.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
