The German title hopefuls are not matching their expectations and their sporting director expects to see a dramatic uptick in the weeks ahead
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has indicated that he believes the Bundesliga side will “improve significantly” during the second half of the season.
Dortmund find themselves fifth in the Bundesliga, having sacked head coach Lucien Favre following a 5-1 home thumping by Stuttgart on December 12.
Edin Terzic, who was Favre’s right-hand man, is now in charge and the 38-year-old has posted a couple of wins in his first three matches in charge. It is this kind of form that Zorc believes will continue.
“I expect the team to improve significantly. No one here at Borussia Dortmund is satisfied with fifth in the table. Champions League qualification is always our goal and we have to achieve that at the end of the season,” he told the club’s official website.
Nevertheless, Terzic oversaw a loss to Union Berlin which frustrated Zorc, who subsequently told the players to remember their responsibilities towards the club.
“After the Union Berlin game, I was especially annoyed because we’d lost two games in relatively quick succession from four corners,” he said.
“It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but four corners cost us six points, and a team with the quality we haven’t to have can’t let that happen.
“Ok, we were caught out by Cologne, but you can’t let that happen again three or four weeks later, especially when everyone knows Union Berlin are strong from set pieces.
“Overall, we aren’t happy with how we’ve been doing in the Bundesliga over the last few months. I think we’ve done well in the Champions League, and we deserved to get through to the next stage as group winners. We’ve done our job in the cup, but we’re not doing our job in the league, including the targets set by the players before the season.”
Dortmund return to action on Sunday with a home encounter against Wolfsburg, while they travel to face RB Leipzig a week later.
With those opponents both challenging Dortmund for a top-four finish, those fixtures are likely to be pivotal in the direction of the club’s season.
Dortmund also have a Champions League knock-out tie to prepare for, after they were drawn against Sevilla in the round of 16.
