Soccer-Dortmund "not too good" in Bundesliga but top four finish remains the goal, says CEO

Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co KgaA

27/02/2024 16:13

By Karolos Grohmann
       BERLIN, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Borussia Dortmund have not
succeeded in hitting top form in the Bundesliga this season
despite their solid Champions League run but a top-four league
finish remains the goal, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said
on Tuesday.
    Dortmund dramatically lost the league title to Bayern Munich
on the final matchday last season and this campaign failed to
remain in contention for long.
    They are in fourth place in the standings on 41 points, one
ahead of fifth-placed RB Leipzig and 20 behind leaders Bayer
Leverkusen. VfB Stuttgart are third on 47. The top four teams
qualify for the Champions League group stage next season.
    "It is a difficult situation because it is only 11 matches
left (in the Bundesliga)," Watzke told a conference call from
the United States where his club is setting up an office.
    "We have the fourth position now but it has been a difficult
situation."
    Watzke said last season's last-gasp title loss hit the team
hard and he had not been too confident at the start of the
season.
    "You have the feeling the championship is there but you
don't win it. That was a big problem for the team and the
coach," he said. "For this season I was not optimistic of being
competitive. We are not playing too good. We have two faces."
    Dortmund may have been struggling in the Bundesliga and are
12 points behind second-placed Bayern Munich.
    But they are still in the Champions League knockout stage,
having drawn 1-1 in their last 16 first leg at PSV Eindhoven.
They host them in the return leg in Germany next month.
    "In the Bundesliga this year it is not very good. There is
no flow. We must work hard to win games and it is not
automatic," Watzke said.
    "It is difficult. Leverkusen are very strong. Stuttgart
played to avoid relegation last season and now they are playing
fantastic football. Leipzig are always strong. We must get our
points, win our games." 
    In the last 13 seasons Dortmund qualified all but once for
the lucrative Champions League and Watzke said their European
run this season was not over yet.
    Dortmund had finished the group stage in top spot.
    "I think the chance is more than 50% to go through to the
quarters," he said. "Because we are playing in Dortmund. We have
a lot of experience. Every time we win the group stage as number
one, we go to quarters."

 (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann
Editing by Christian Radnedge)
 ((karolos.grohmann@thomsonreuters.com; +491743343192;))