Dortmund’s Management Concerned Over Schlotterbeck’s Championship Comments

Reports indicate that Borussia Dortmund’s management is displeased with comments made by Nico Schlotterbeck following their 3-2 victory against Heidenheim on Sunday.

After the win, which narrowed the points gap between Dortmund and Bayern Munich to just six, Schlotterbeck asserted, “As BVB, we need to start saying ‘We want to be champions!’ We were a bit lucky to win today, but I don’t care. We won!”

Such statements have raised concerns among head coach Niko Kovac, sporting director Sebastian Kehl, and director of sport Lars Ricken, as they elevate pressure on the team and its leadership.

In response to Schlotterbeck’s remarks, Kovac commented, “I don’t know if Schlotti said that verbatim. My focus is on the rearview mirror. I want to see the teams behind us shrink in size first. We need to gather points to keep the teams behind us at bay.”

Kehl added, “Of course, we don’t want to relinquish second place at the end of the year; that’s obvious. What you have, you want to keep. We have to be realistic about the top spot; Bayern are simply doing a good job. They typically win the German championship, the DFB Cup, and the Champions League.”

Dortmund has the opportunity to further close the gap on Bayern to three points this weekend as they face Wolfsburg on Saturday, while the league leaders will compete against Hoffenheim on Sunday. Later in the month, Dortmund will host Bayern at Signal Iduna Park, amidst matches against Atalanta in the Champions League.