Dortmund's Demise.

To be quite honest, I am astonished with the current situation at Borussia Dortmund. Sitting not-so-prettily in the relegation zone, it is safe to say that a dark cloud has shadowed over the Westfaldstadion.

Three wins in their opening four games in all competitions seemed like a solid start, one of which being a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in which they outperformed the opposition in all facets of the pitch. Since then they have only registered five victories and haven’t won since December 5th, before ending their duck yesterday. Even though things aren't hunky dory, it was still a bit of a shock to hear the players being booed off at the conclusion of their 1-0 home loss against Augsburg on Wednesday night. Regardless of this, the Powers Above have shown no evidence of removing Klopp from his managerial post.

The heights of 2013’s Champions League Final and the double winning side of 2011/2012 seem distant memory. The loss of vital players such as Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski have not helped the current situation. Much was expected of Shinji Kagawa’s return from the Theatre of Dreams, but even he was unable to prevent a disastrous start to Dortmund’s season. Similarly, the signings to replace the departures haven’t exactly set the world alight. Ciro Immobile, whom I am a big fan of, has only been able to record a measly 3 goals with a conversion rate of 12.5%. Last season Lewandowski recorded 20 goals with a significantly better rate of over 22%. Like Immobile, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang has a conversion rate of just under 15%. Dortmund are missing their hitman.

Looking at the defence, it seems that confidence is the issue. If we consider that they have 4 World Cup winning defenders in their possession, it would shock us all, but considering that 3 of them failed to make a single appearance during the tournament we can now see why. Matthias Ginter and Eric Durm both are under the age of 23. Although they have potential, 2 youngsters are unlucky to be able to dig a club seeped in turmoil. Neven Subotic and Lukas Piszczeck are experienced operators so Klopp will be looking for them to aid and abed the youth within their ranks. Looking at Mats Hummels, he may well be considering his future at the German club with Manchester United reportedly interested in him.

That leads me onto another sticky situation that may face Jurgen Klopp in the future. If the unimaginable happens and 2011/2012 Bundesliga champions are relegated to the lower tier, he may well face the exodus of several pivotal players. Marco Reus has been forever linked with a move away and the reported suitors is a list the length of my arm. Pretty much every European 'giant' has been linked with the World Cup winner. As I have said previously, Mats Hummels is another sought after player. Status may begin to talk as teams could swoop in for the remaining talent in the likes of Nuri Sahin, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Ciro Immobile, however performances of late will do nothing to persuade clubs to invest in them. It will be interesting to see what happens if the side are relegated and if they don't buck up their ideas, the nightmare could become a reality.

On the bright side, they recorded a resounding 3-0 victory away to Freiburg yesterday, lifting them off the bottom of the table and also easing the pressure on Klopp. Dortmund need to take confidence fron this away result into future games, and they can certainly finish in a mid table position.