Borussia Dortmund players looked to put smiles on the faces of their fans by pouring pints of beer at the club’s Christmas party on Tuesday night.
The gesture was made to apologize for their awful start to the Bundesliga, where they currently sit in last place after losing 2-0 to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend. For a side that has spent recent years competing (and winning in 2010-11, 2011-12) the German title, their dive in form has been quite a shock to both the club and its fans.
So the likes of Mats Hummels, Marco Reus, Ilkay Gundogan and Nevan Subotic took to pouring beers at the annual holiday party as a way of apologixing. “BVB’s players signed autographs for over two and a half hours and finally served behind the bar, another thank you for the fantastic support from the stands during a season that has so far brought little in the way of sporting cheer,” said a post on the club’s website.
Manager Jurgen Klopp admitted that the team has been struggling but retains faith things can be turned around. “I don’t need a vote of confidence, I’ve had it a thousand times before. The team needs it now,” he said. “It’s a little tough at the moment, and we’ve got to be ready for that. I am. I know how a relegation battle works and how a team has to think in order to get out of it. We’ve got to learn not to get down about our mistakes, instead stay calm and keep playing football.”
It’s not all bad for Dortmund, however, as they sit atop Arsenal’s Champions League group and have already qualified for the next round.
