Borussia Dortmund Drop Points Again as Marco Reus Picks Up Another Knock

Despite so much promise following a strong win over Borussia Moenchengladbach prior to the international break, the return of the Bundesliga brought with it some notable headaches, as Borussia Dortmund once again threw away a strong lead.

This time it was away to Paderborn, a side who had only recently found themselves in the league through promotion last season but have since wasted little time getting to know their new opponents with some impressive performances in the first half of the season. 

Alas, Saturday's noteworthy result against Dortmund was head coach Andre Breitenreiter's third undefeated match at home on the bounce. With his side now picking up just one defeat in their first seven home games, they are sitting five points and five spots above Dortmund in the league. 

Yet the aftermath of such a game will undoubtedly fall upon the burdened shoulders of Jurgen Klopp who will once again be asked to explain the somewhat unexplainable. How do these international stars keep failing to get the job done against lesser opponents in the league?

For so long the manager and his club were able to hide behind the genuine excuse of injuries piling up on either front for the black and yellows. Klopp was running out of talented players to field from one week to the next, and so results began to tumble. 

However, the team that walked out to rapturous applause from the away fans at the Benteler Arena on Saturday was full to the brim with talent. Talent that had won Bundesliga titles under Klopp and talent that would one day be expected to do so again for the club. 

Rather than some external factors, it was the likes of Shinji Kagawa, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ilkay Gundogan who simply never showed up on the day, that ultimately ruined any chances of Dortmund winning their first game back. 

Unlike the energetic, forceful Dortmund that we're so used to seeing, we instead saw a team that looked far too lethargic in their counter-attacking and the manner in which they chased the ball. Not only did the three aforementioned players struggle to match the pace of the game in defending but also in their poor delivery of the ball when Dortmund were creating chances. 

According to WhoScored.com, Dortmund managed 11 shots either on or off target, yet not a single one came from the attacking midfield pros of either Kagawa or Mkhitaryan. Two players who have been renowned for their goalscoring ability. 

In fact it was former bit-part player Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who offered the most for Klopp on the day, scoring the first and grabbing an assist for the second. Which now means the former Ligue 1 forward has 10 goals and six assists in just 18 games for the club this season, according to Transfermrkt. 

It says a lot about the manner of Klopp's squad at the moment that if it hadn't been for the continued efforts of Aubameyang or his partner in crime, Marco Reus, this team simply wouldn't have anyone to rely on for goals. Sure, Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos both sit on the bench each week and have both done well in Europe, but Klopp clearly doesn't trust either to start each week and perform. 

This was perfectly noted in Saturday's game when Reus was forced to be carried off the park on a stretcher after a nasty challenge from Paderborn midfielder Marvin Bakalorz, leaving Dortmund with even fewer options in attack. 

Klopp bizarrely opted to bring on defensive midfielder Milos Jojic, which in turn gave Paderborn all the incentive they'd need to go up the pitch and grab an equaliser—which was moments after Dortmund had a goal wrongfully ruled offside—and ultimately drag his side back into the pits of Bundesliga form. 

Although Dortmund won't be able to say just how bad the German international's ankle injury may be, it shines a light on a somewhat ignored aspect of Klopp's squad. These players simply don't look up for the fight, and it may get a whole lot worse if Reus is out for any considerable amount of time. 

With a certain amount of irony that we would only find in the Bundesliga, Dortmund will finish the weekend with the exact same amount of points standing between them and what must be a most coveted fourth-place spot. 

Nine points between him and Bayer Leverkusen in fourth is what will drive Klopp on over the next month before the league retires for the international break. Yet will this squad follow him all the way and turn their season around before the turn of the year? It remains to be seen, yet based on the result against Paderborn, it doesn't look likely. 

@Sbienkowski