Jurgen Klopp Rolls a Dud: Despite Lineup, Borussia Dortmund Not at Full Strength

Heading into Saturday's run-in with Koln, Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp was bullish. "This is the beginning of the rest of our season," he told reporters (h/t Fifa.com) at a pre-match news conference Thursday.

Klopp had good reason to feel confident, with the club welcoming back Ilkay Gundogan for his first competitive match since August 2013, and the likes of Marco Reus, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Sebastian Kehl for the first time in several weeks. On paper, BVB easily had their best starting lineup of the season thus far.

For Klopp and Dortmund, however, everything went sour from the start of the 2-1 loss. Although Reus' assist to Ciro Immobile put BVB level after Kevin Vogt's opener, Simon Zoller netted a deserved winner for Koln with a quarter-hour left. For the fifth consecutive game, the Ruhr side conceded the opening goal, and for the fourth time in five games, they were unable to salvage even a point.

The problem for Dortmund was quite simple: Although the right names were on the team sheet, too many were short of the fitness and sharpness needed to perform on such a high level as the Bundesliga requires.

It was shocking that Klopp opted to play Gundogan from the start after such a lengthy absence. It was even more shocking that he left the 23-year-old in the game for 90 minutes before pulling him for the closing moments.

The threat of injury is highest for a player returning, and, at the very least, a footballer so short of match practice is much more mistake-prone. Gundogan added a unique touch of class from time to time, but he predictably made some uncharacteristic errors in possession.

Beyond Gundogan, selecting Reus, Mkhitaryan and Kehl all in the starting 11 was asking for trouble. It's one thing to bring in one or two players after injury, but nearly half an outfield is another.

There were other fit options on the bench who didn't even get a brief run-out—Sven Bender and Matthias Ginter in particular. Adrian Ramos could also have started as a second striker. Instead, Klopp took a chance with four returning starters who were off form and rolled a dud.

Klopp's lineup decision may not only affect Saturday's result. Dortmund face Galatasaray in Istanbul in just four days' time. Of the four returning starters, only Mkhitaryan had any rest in Koln; the Armenian was substituted with 22 minutes left to play. Reus, Gundogan and Kehl all played 90 minutes and will face a real struggle to raise their game both in Turkey and next Saturday against Hannover.

Staggering their returns and using them as substitutes for one another would have eased all of the aforementioned back into the team, ensuring their fitness and sticking with a lineup of predominantly fit, well-prepared players for the Koln match.

Perhaps Klopp was hoping for the stars to align and for his top players to simultaneously hit peak form in Koln. They didn't.

He'll be happy to have a healthier team now than he did before the international break, but Saturday's match proved that Dortmund are fit in names only. In reality, they are a long way from being at full strength.

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