Nico Schlotterbeck calls for 'winner's mentality' after Borussia Dortmund drop points in UEFA Champions League
With two Bundesliga games to go before the winter break, Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck has tried to rouse his teammates after BVB dropped points to Norwegian visitors Bodø/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Given that it was no doubt felt by many at the club, frustration was an understandable emotion for Schlotterbeck to have conveyed after Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at Signal Iduna Park. Not only did dropping points mean Die Schwarzgelben passed up the opportunity to move into fourth place in the league phase table, but it saw them slip to 10th – outside of the automatic qualification places for the round of 16.
What’s more, it marks the fifth time this season across all competitions that Dortmund have dropped points from winning positions courtesy of a late equaliser. After seemingly having drawn a line under this habit, following 3-3 and 4-4 draws with St. Pauli and Juventus on Matchday 1 of the Bundesliga and UCL campaigns respectively, the trend seems to have crept back in in recent weeks.
On Matchday 10, BVB conceded a 97th-minute equaliser away to HSV, which they followed up with the concession of a 91st-minute leveller at home to VfB Stuttgart the following week.
Watch: Dortmund concede stoppage time equaliser to Stuttgart on Matchday 11
Following the Bodø/Glimt result, Schlotterbeck, who had donned the armband for that game, expressed his determination to put an end to the trend. “I said at half-time that we’re starting to play nervously after going 1-0 up; our passing is incredibly poor. A winner’s mentality means killing the game off. We didn’t manage to do that at all. We want to play beautifully, but that’s not enough.
“We could have moved onto 13 points today. Killing the game is a matter of quality. And then you concede the goal for 2-2 from a throw-in where you’re outnumbered and can’t clear the ball. When you come on in the 60th minute, I expect 30 minutes of full throttle. After their second goal, we didn’t have any more chances to score. We played incredibly sloppily in the last quarter of an hour. That’s not good enough in a home game.”
When asked about Schlotterbeck's comments in his pre-match press conference ahead of the weekend's trip to Freiburg on Bundesliga Matchday 14, head coach Niko Kovač defended his player's actions.
"I understand Schlotti’s frustration because yesterday we really let a huge opportunity slip, and it was completely unnecessary for us to lose a match that we were controlling and even dominating - in terms of chances as well," the Croatian admitted.
"Of course, as a leader and a key player, he is upset about the behaviour we showed. That’s completely normal, and there’s really nothing more to add to that…I think, as a leader, he absolutely has the right to bring certain things up. And it’s always about us getting better.”
Another senior figure within the Dortmund dressing room, Julian Brandt - who scored both of the Black-Yellows' goals on the night - gave a similar assessment of the match.
“We took the lead twice, conceded silly goals and made life difficult for ourselves. We had chances to score another goal or two. At 1-1, we were asleep from the corner and left their player unmarked in front of goal," the 29-year-old midfielder explained.
"Overall, though, we did quite well in the first half. We needed to be more clinical up front. In the second half, we managed to take the lead again, had a lot of space, but were too inconsistent in front of goal and left the door open for Bodø. We still have a chance to qualify, but we could have put ourselves in a better position today.”
The data certainly reflects Brandt's appraisal. On the night, Dortmund recorded 22 shots on goal to their visitors' seven, as well as having 63 per cent of the possession. The game also marked the Dortmund No.10's 500th competitive club appearance in senior football (his 285th for BVB after previously playing 215 matches for Bayer Leverkusen), so it was not the celebration the midfielder would have wanted to mark such an impressive milestone. However, his brace did bring him to within five strikes of the 100-goal mark at club level.
Nevertheless, personal accolades will not be at the forefront of Brandt's mind as he prepares to help Dortmund try to get back to winning ways against Freiburg on Sunday.
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