By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, March 6 (Xinhua) -- After being eliminated in the German Cup and the Champions League's round of 16, the 2019 Bundesliga is Borussia Dortmund's last opportunity to win a trophy this season.
But is the young and inexperienced squad strong enough to deal with the latest disappointments?
The pressure is increasing on the side to manage a turnaround shortly, with only one victory in their last eight games.
The best team over the first half of the season seems to have lost its flow, with a nine point lead in the Bundesliga over rivals Bayern Munich having vanished over recent weeks. The Bavarians are now level on points with Dortmund, separated only by virtue of having scored two goals fewer.
A season without a title could mean the loss for some of the team's inspiring young performers such as Jadon Sancho. Merely achieving qualification for the 2019/2020 Champions League campaign may be not enough to keep them motivated at the club.
The latest rumors speak of top European clubs' interest in signing shooting star Sancho.
However, it may not be all bad. Being able to concentrate solely on the German title race gives coach Lucien Favre and his players the chance to take much-needed rest breaks, as they have no more midweek fixtures.
Having to compete on three fronts has fatigued many of Dortmund's star players, such as Alex Witsel, Thomas Delaney, Marco Reus, and Paco Alcacer, with youngsters like Sancho and Achraf Hakimi also struggling to consistently reproduce the team's high-energy style of play week-in, week-out.
Dortmund's Swiss coach has to face the challenge to lead the team back to success and confidence. Favre main topic will be thoughtfully selecting the starting lineup for the remaining 10 league games.
"We have to face the new situation with only one competition left. We didn't want that to happen," Favre acknowledged.
Facing relegation candidates VfB Stuttgart this Saturday, the 2012 Bundesliga champions need to improve their effectiveness in front of goal.
Despite their energetic high press leading to many chances, Dortmund have proved surprisingly profligate in front of goal. Firing off 21 shots against Tottenham on Tuesday night didn't pay off, as it was the Premier League side scoring the game's only goal from only five shots taken.
"We still lack full concentration up front. We might have created many good chances against Tottenham, but we didn't score," 2014 World Cup winner Mario Gotze noted.
A reason for concern is that this was also the story of their games against Nurnberg and Augsburg, as Gotze said.
The team's star forward Marco Reus said now is the time to think about "how long our fans will be patient." The German international demanded patience, but added that improvement is required shortly. "We have to deliver now."
Sporting director Sebastian Kehl praised the team's passionate investment against Spurs but claimed: "This level has set the benchmark for the remaining games in the Bundesliga."
Borussia's team has to deal with an enormous setback. So far this season they have been the leading force in German football. Now with their crisis, they are in danger of gambling everything away.
On April 6 Dortmund meet Bayern in a match that could decide the destination of the Bundesliga trophy in May.
Former German international Lothar Matthaus said Dortmund need a turnaround shortly, "otherwise the title will be lost and Bayern will have again won the national championship right after Easter."
