BERLIN, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The mood of the so-called "Revierklubs," located in Germany's Rhine-Ruhr region in the far West, couldn't be more diverted.
The royal blues seem to have recovered after a disastrous last season, where they finished 14th. Since former Huddersfield hero David Wagner took over last summer, Schalke quickly gained stability despite much smaller investments.
Dortmund's story is drawing a completely different picture.
Considering the huge investment made by the Blacks and Yellows in summer, the first-half performance is more than a disappointment. At present the BVB is placed fourth, seven points behind leaders RB Leipzig with eight wins, six draws and three defeats.
Schalke, in fifth place, has reached precisely the same figures. Only the goal record of plus 17 is keeping Dortmund narrowly ahead of Schalke (plus 8).
"Favre has again reached the state of a doubtful case," the tabloid Bild assumed as the league has entered the winter break after the 17 rounds of matches.
With 24 goals conceived, Dortmund has the worst figures of the Bundesliga's top six. They had 12 point less than the same time last season.
"I don't have the feeling Dortmund's performers believe they can win the title," former German national keeper and TV pundit Oliver Kahn commented.
"You always have the feeling, the fear of failure is bigger than the confidence to win the games," Kahn emphasized.
The former Bayern professional said Dortmund is far away from winning a title. "If you want to win the championship, you need to perform better and more consistently."
Kahn called Dortmund the biggest mystery of the season. "They have a squad full of experience but can't dominate a game over 90 minutes," the 50-year-old underlined.
"They can play enchanting football with breath-taking speed; they have got all that is needed to be successful, but can't perform on a steady level." Enditem