The Highs and Lows for Borussia Dortmund in 2015
Fans of Borussia Dortmund are looking back at quite possibly the most tumultuous year in a decade. The Black and Yellows have provoked a wide array of emotions in 2015—from blank despair to utter joy, there was never a dull moment.
Over the following pages, we'll take a look at the most memorable highs and lows from Dortmund in 2015 in chronological order. Because of the abundance of moments and games—the Ruhr side played 52—to choose from, there are some things we'll have to omit.
Before we start, we want to encourage you to tell us your personal highlights of the year in the comments section below.
Low: Dead Last After Home Defeat vs. Augsburg
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After the horrendous first half of the 2014/15 season, spirits remained high among the BVB supporters. Almost every one of them believed Jurgen Klopp would be able to turn things around after the winter break.
For many of those fans, however, those hopes lasted a mere two games. On February 4, a Wednesday evening, Dortmund lost 1-0 to FC Augsburg at home in Signal Iduna Park and went to the bottom of the Bundesliga table. For the foreseeable future, the mighty Black and Yellows would have to fight against relegation.
Even now, with everyone knowing how comfortably Klopp guided his team to safety—and much more than that—looking back at that day sends a shiver down the spine of everyone whose heart beats for BVB.
High: Marco Reus Extending His Contract
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Just six days after the punch to the gut that was the loss against Augsburg, Dortmund superstar Marco Reus extended his contract with his boyhood club until 2019.
Many had expected him to leave the club in the summer, and most fans would've understood, as Bleacher Reports' Stefan Bienkowski pointed out at the time:
"It would have been far too easy for the world-class star to simply acknowledge all the former German champions have done for him, make a decent gesture to the fans, but then announce his desire to go win trophies elsewhere. The Westfalenstadion faithful would have been disheartened but ultimately understood his reasoning.
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That their No. 11 didn't take the easy way out of Dortmund's precarious situation was a symbol of hope for all fans of the Black and Yellows. Even if Reus' personal 2015 didn't go to plan because of numerous injuries, the effects of his contract extension in regard to his club's revival shouldn't go unnoticed.
High: 3-0 Victory over Schalke in Revierderby
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Dortmund's thoroughly deserved 3-0 battering of local rivals FC Schalke on February 28 would turn out to be something of a last hurrah for Klopp's "heavy-metal football."
Despite all three goals coming late—Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the opener in the 78th minute—BVB were dominant all game long and could've put five or six past the overwhelmed visitors.
Easily Dortmund's best performance of the 2014/15 season, this was a Revierderby for the ages.
Low: Champions League Exit vs. Juventus
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Going out against Juventus wasn't shameful per se; after all, the Old Lady advanced to the final and gave FC Barcelona a proper fight for the trophy.
But the way in which Dortmund lost their round-of-16 tie with the Bianconeri was nothing short of embarassing. Going into the return leg, the Black and Yellows had to feel good about their chances. They had lost in Turin but scored a vital away goal in the 2-1 defeat, which meant all they'd have needed was a 1-0 victory.
A thunderous strike from Carlos Tevez after just three minutes, however, started what would become a very long night at Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund lost 3-0 in the end.
High/Low: Jurgen Klopp Announcing His Departure
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On April 15, the unthinkable happened: Jurgen Klopp announced he would depart at the conclusion of the season, putting an end to his fairy tale-like seven-year tenure at the club.
We're not entirely sure in which of our two categories to put Klopp's departure.
On the one hand, it meant the end of a highly successful era for the club. In many ways, the charismatic 48-year-old represented the club in a one-man show—even if that was never his intention. Klopp's decision to leave the club prematurely left a massive void.
On the other hand, however—and especially in retrospect—the decision was a necessary one. In short, his full-throttle football had run its course.
Bienkowski noted at the time: "As honest as the charismatic coach has always been, Klopp—the favourite of every neutral fan across the world of football—was unfortunately as accurate as ever in describing the struggles he has had to come to terms with at the Westfalenstadion this season."
Tactical limitations were among the biggest problems of the latter stages of his tenure, culminating in a wholeheartedly disappointing 2014/15 campaign. "He was not able to introduce a stable, more possession-orientated style that was required against deep-sitting Bundesliga sides," wrote tactics blogger Constantin Eckner.
High: Appointing Thomas Tuchel as Klopp's Successor
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As much as we struggled to pigeonhole Klopp's departure, the appointment of Thomas Tuchel doesn't pose the same dilemma.
Signed only days after Klopp's announcement, the supporters met Tuchel with some reservation. The 42-year-old was portrayed by the German media as being a brusque know-it-all with a temper. The "sideline-pacing, referee-excoriating Tuchel," as Deutsche Welle's Jefferson Chase called the coach, seemingly lacked the integrative qualities his predecessor had in abundance.
Klopp was a masterful conductor of the masses of the Westfalenstadion—Tuchel is not, although the supposedly bland, teacher-like coach has quickly won over BVB's supporters.
At any rate, his appointment has refocused the club. As Thomas Hennecke wrote for German magazine Kicker (via FourFourTwo's Andy Brassell), "the team is the star."
Low: Losing DFB-Pokal Final to VfL Wolfsburg
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The stars seemed to align for Klopp to end his amazing run at Dortmund with his fourth big trophy; after narrowly escaping Allianz Arena with a 2-0 win on penalties in the semi-finals, all that stood between Klopp and the perfect farewell was VfL Wolfsburg.
Back when he announced his departure, "Klopp said that it would be 'cool' to parade one more trophy around the Borsigplatz—founding place of the club where BVB fans traditionally gather to celebrate their titles" per ESPN FC's Stephan Uersfeld.
After Aubameyang had put his side in front after just five minutes, the game shaped up to be a dream come true for all those who wanted Klopp to win a trophy as a parting gift.
At the end, however, the game was one last sign of why it was the right decision for Klopp to leave the club. Wolfsburg outplayed Dortmund by some margin and thoroughly deserved their first DFB-Pokal triumph.
High: Holding onto All Their Stars
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For the first time since 2011, Dortmund managed to keep all their star players at the club.
Think about BVB's bleeding for a moment: In consecutive years, they lost Nuri Sahin to Real Madrid, Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United and Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski to Bayern Munich.
The club's ability to hold onto the likes of Reus, Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan in the summer was vital for the revival Tuchel started in the second half of 2015.
Midfield mastermind Gundogan, whom a section of the fans booed at the team presentation in Signal Iduna Park at the start of July and bashed for what they perceived to be ungratefulness on various social media platforms, has been especially important in Tuchel's system this term.
High: Record-Breaking Start Under Tuchel
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Even the biggest sceptics will have realised what a shrewd decision CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and sporting director Michael Zorc made with the appointment of Tuchel when the 42-year-old won a club-record 11 out of 11 games to start his tenure at the Westfalenstadion.
His first Bundesliga win was perhaps the most impressive of that streak; Dortmund toyed with Borussia Monchengladbach, beating the Foals 4-0.
In that start, Tuchel laid the foundation of Dortmund's impressive first half of the 2015/16 season.
Low: Performances in All 3 Bundesliga Losses Under Tuchel
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We're willing to let some uninspired performances in the UEFA Europa League slide because Dortmund were through to the round of 32 after four matchdays and were more unlucky than poor to end up second in Group C behind FC Krasnodar.
We can't just gloss over the performances in all three losses in the Bundesliga under Tuchel, however.
Oddly enough, the 5-1 battering at the hands of Bayern was the least disappointing defeat. The Bavarian giants were at their peak in the meeting at the start of October. Dortmund weren't the only team to get slaughtered in Allianz Arena in the autumn—just ask Arsene Wenger.
The 3-1 loss at Hamburger SV stung much more because Dortmund invited the hosts to all three goals—Hummels even scored one for them himself.
Finally, the last-minute 2-1 defeat at Cologne on the final matchday of 2015 left a bad taste in the mouths of all Dortmund fans as the Bundesliga embarked on the five-week hiatus Germans call Winterpause. In that game, the Black and Yellows looked sluggish and tired and more or less begged harmless hosts to finally put one—and then another one—in the net.
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