Nico Schlotterbeck fallout contributes to sense of crisis at Borussia Dortmund

All is not well at Borussia Dortmund.

Nine points behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, dumped out of the German Cup earlier this month by Bayer Leverkusen, and dislodged from the automatic qualifying places for the last 16 of the Champions League following last week’s draw against Norwegian minnows Bodo Glimt, Dortmund headed to mid-table Freiburg on Sunday in need of a restorative win.

Instead, they once again squandered an early lead, losing Jobe Bellingham to a straight red card before an acrobatic effort from Freiburg attacker Lucas Höler cancelled out Ramy Bensebaini’s first-half opener. 

How Nico Schlotterbeck branded Borussia Dortmund ‘incredibly sloppy’

The result allegedly sparked further criticism from defender Nico Schlotterbeck, who caused a stir after the Bodo Glimt result by branding Dortmund “incredibly sloppy” and taking a thinly-veiled swipe at substitutes Serhou Guirassy and Karim Adeyemi.

“The players who come on lose every ball,” raged Schlotterbeck, who has been linked with Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. “If you come on in the 60th minute, I expect 30 minutes of full throttle. After [Bodo Glimt’s] second goal, we didn’t have any more chances to score. We played incredibly sloppy in the last quarter of an hour. That’s not good enough.”

Nico Schlotterbeck and Serhou Guirassy exchange words

According to reports in Germany, Guirassy took exception when the Germany international directed a fresh dressing-room tirade at his team-mates following the Freiburg draw, leading to a heated confrontation between the pair. The Guinea striker, who has five goals from 13 Bundesliga appearances this season, reportedly accused Schlotterbeck of failing to make clear who his comments were directed at, demanding that the centre-back confront players directly with his criticisms.

The alleged confrontation would seem to support suggestions that Schlotterbeck’s comments after the Champions League game unsettled the dressing room, where there was a feeling the 26-year-old had effectively betrayed his team-mates. There is a feeling in some quarters that Schlotterbeck, who has only 18 months remaining on his contract, is trying to pave the way for a departure by raising doubts about the club’s ability to challenge for major honours. 

While Dortmund manager Niko Kovač backed Schlotterbeck’s comments after the Bodo Glimt draw – “It’s perfectly normal that, as a leader, he’s upset,” said the Croatian – former Germany and Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has questioned the wisdom of the centre-back’s public outburst.  

‘That’s not something a player should say’

“That’s not something a player should say,” Hamann told Sky Germany. “While we want players to always speak their minds, this choice of words is borderline. You have to be careful that the team isn’t divided by such statements. 

“Schlotterbeck more or less personally attacked the players who came on as substitutes with his comments. You always have to be careful in these situations.”

Reports of division among senior figures at the club have only contributed to the sense of a brewing crisis at Signal Iduna Park. 

Kovač’s side will hope to end the opening phase of the season on a more positive note at home to 11th-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday evening, in what will be the club’s final game before the winter break.