Season so far: Borussia Dortmund

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At the halfway point of the 2016/17 Bundesliga season, it is time for bundesliga.com to dissect the campaigns of each club so far.

Story so far

Here, we take a closer look at Borussia Dortmund...

While a 1-0 victory over the league leaders FC Bayern München stands out favourably, frustration is likely to be the overriding feeling when Thomas Tuchel and his side reflect on the season to date. Despite scoring freely – their tally of 35 goals is bettered only by the Bavarians – Borussia have won just seven of 16 games this term and are .

On Matchday 16 a defensive lapse led to their being held 1-1 at home by FC Augsburg in a game that rather summed up their campaign. They remain just two points off the UEFA Champions League places and are into the last 16 of the competition itself, but there is much work to be done if BVB are to compete with the likes of Bayern and RB Leipzig at the top end of the table this season.

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Star player:Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The year 2016 has unquestionably belonged to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Crowned 2015 African Footballer of the Year in January, he has scored 32 goals in all competitions this year, including 23 in 29 in the Bundesliga. The Gabonese forward has continued to improve and this term is three goals clear of the chasing pack, with 16 strikes in just 15 appearances. Pipped to the Torjägerkanone last season by Robert Lewandowski, he will hope to hold off the Pole this time around.

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Honourable mention:Ousmane Dembele

In a squad packed with attacking talent, Dembele’s dynamic performances have helped him quickly nail down a place in the BVB starting line-up since his arrival in the summer. The French international has started 11 of 15 games and provided seven assists in the league, a stat bettered only by Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg. With four goals of his own to boot, December’s Player of the Month has been key to the team scoring so freely, and ensured the absence of Marco Reus has not been as keenly felt as many Dortmund fans may have feared.