One of the most frequently used phrases in football is the image of the “snapshot,” which is actually intended to combat an acute risk of seduction. Athletes who slack off a little in the comfortable feeling of a good starting position have often set the stage for the next defeat.
At Borussia Dortmund, however, the relaxing powers of a pleasant moment have been enjoyed to the fullest over the past few winter weeks. Hardly a conversation during the training camp in Marbella ends without mentioning second place on the table on which the team celebrated the turn of the year. Looking at the table is just too good after a late autumn of conflicts. “We have taken a huge step: second place, a lot of good results, a lot of statistics that speak for us,” says sports director Sebastian Kehl, and captain Emre Can is asking himself in the days before the opening game of the year at Eintracht Frankfurt this Friday evening (8.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga, on SAT.1 and Sky) whether BVB had ever played such a strong first half of the season in their years in Dortmund.
“As BVB we are well positioned and well prepared”
The answer: No, and two games are still outstanding. At the same time, however, if the last matchday went unfavorably, Dortmund could have fallen out of the Champions League area of the table in 2025. The relaxed state is therefore extremely fragile. And yet Carsten Cramer, who took over the role of management spokesman after Hans-Joachim Watzke stepped down, said in an interview with the FAZ: “I have the impression that we as BVB are quite well positioned and well prepared for what awaits us in the next few weeks and months.”
In terms of sport, the team has actually stabilized, only losing one game in the Bundesliga – 1:2 at FC Bayern. Twelve goals conceded in 15 games is a record. The fact that the news situation was still dominated by negative headlines is therefore perceived by some Dortmund residents as unfair. Shortly before Christmas, long-time head of communications Sascha Fligge had to leave, which has nothing directly to do with the autumn conflict, but there are people in Dortmund who point out the discrepancy between the inside views and the outside perception. “In my opinion, what is really overlooked in the public assessment is the development that this team has made since the spring of last year,” says Kehl.
There is a fundamental question behind this that is being discussed more openly than it has been at BVB in a long time: What measures are necessary to take the next steps in order to win titles again? The external consultant Matthias Sammer has pointed out several times in recent weeks that the performance was generally good, but for very special successes BVB would have to go from “good to very good”. There is now intensive discussion about what the path to get there could look like. Club boss Cramer says somewhat vaguely that it is important to “focus on our strengths and develop our potential even better.”
The first question that needs to be clarified is how much space Sammer’s ideas find in these plans and how adjustments can be reconciled with old BVB traditions. In conversation with Cramer, it becomes clear that a search has begun for the right balance between Ruhrpott ideals such as solidarity and cohesion that are deeply rooted in the club on the one hand and a culture of debate driven by ambition on the other.
Sammer probably means Kehl in particular
“Borussia Dortmund is addicted to harmony,” says Sammer on “Sky”. Conflicts, as revealed by the egocentric behavior of attackers Karim Adeyemi and Serhou Guirassy after substitutions and the public criticism of the two by defense chief Nico Schlotterbeck, hurt. Some people are “scared” by such events instead of using the energy of these moments, says Sammer. It’s an open secret that he means Sebastian Kehl first and foremost.
Some observers assumed in December that the club would end its relationship with Sammer following this move. Instead, Sammer reiterated his positions via “Sportbild” this week. “Borussia Dortmund just has rough edges and we have never tried to sand off those edges,” says Cramer. Apparently the club management has recently welcomed publicly expressed, unpleasant impulses from the success-obsessed employee.
It is currently still unclear whether further personnel changes will be made on the way to an improved performance culture. What is clear, however, is how valuable Niko Kovac’s work is in the context of the conflict. With great composure, the trainer has distinguished himself as a balancing force between all interests, mistakes and points of contention. He deals with the long series of big and small dramas in Karim Adeyemi’s sports life – at least on the outside – just as calmly as Schlotterbeck’s outburst of anger, the refused handshake from Guirassy or the months-long mudslinging over Watzke’s move to the presidency.
Kovac didn’t harm other people in the club with a single syllable. He never reacted thinly to all the questions about sensitive points and at the same time did excellent professional work: “We are more active, fitter and at the same time have significantly fewer injuries. We can build on that,” says Kehl. It is still unclear how attractive BVB will be for top players in 2026. Nico Schlotterbeck is hesitant about extending his contract. It is considered likely that he will leave the club. Whether it is a great success to extend expensive contracts with veterans such as Julian Brandt and Emre Can who have played rather inconsistently over the years can be controversially discussed.
In addition, since Jude Bellingham was signed five and a half years ago, BVB has not been able to attract a talent with world star potential. The business model with very large transfer profits currently works better in Frankfurt and Leverkusen than in Dortmund. “The battle for talent is getting bigger and more expensive every year,” says Cramer and assures: “Nevertheless, we are still a top address for developing players from all over the world. We also want to act creatively, courageously and extremely ambitiously in this area.”
In Dortmund it was recognized that better performance on the pitch requires better performance at all levels in the club, which Sammer illustrates with a quote from former coach Dettmar Cramer: “As long as better is possible, good is not good enough.”
