Watzke tells Bosz to 'turn every stone' in Dortmund revival bid

Peter Bosz is expected to make every effort to solve Borussia Dortmund's shocking run of poor form, the club's chief executive has said.

Published : Nov 28, 2017 01:12 IST

Peter Bosz's position has come under mounting scrutiny in recent weeks after the club failed to progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League and is fifth in the Bundesliga, eight points behind leader and title-holder Bayern Munich.
Peter Bosz's position has come under mounting scrutiny in recent weeks after the club failed to progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League and is fifth in the Bundesliga, eight points behind leader and title-holder Bayern Munich.
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Peter Bosz's position has come under mounting scrutiny in recent weeks after the club failed to progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League and is fifth in the Bundesliga, eight points behind leader and title-holder Bayern Munich.

Borussia Dortmund head coach Peter Bosz has been told by chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke to urgently improve the team's recent results.

Bosz made an encouraging start to his tenure at Signal Iduna Park after leaving Ajax to replace Thomas Tuchel.

But a sharp downturn in form has seen the team win just once – against Magdeburg in the DFB-Pokal – in its last 10 fixtures, including Saturday's remarkable draw with Schalke, when it let a 4-0 lead slip.

READ: Pressure mounts on Bosz after dramatic Ruhr derby

Dortmund has failed to progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League and is fifth in the Bundesliga, eight points behind leader and title-holder Bayern Munich.

Bosz's position has come under mounting scrutiny in recent weeks and Watzke, speaking at the club's general assembly on Monday, issued the coach with a stern warning.

"The expectations on you and your team are that you have to put everything to the test in the following days and to turn every stone," he said.

"We have to come back to success quickly. That's 100 per cent clear."

Bosz was furious with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the star striker was sent off for picking up a second bookable offence at home to Schalke in a dramatic Ruhr derby.

Watzke, though, defended the Gabon international, who was suspended by the club for disciplinary reasons earlier this month and is being heavily linked with a move away.

"To be honest, I don't like the way Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was treated in previous days," said Watzke.

ALSO READ: Ankle injury sidelines Dortmund's Gotze

"We had some good talks last week and [against Schalke] I've seen an Aubameyang who gave his very best, his absolute very best.

"Maybe this was the reason for his red card because he wanted to show that he's completely back. I've never questioned that. 

"We had a talk last week and we clearly said that he's completely with us and I'm happy about that. In plain language, how often has Aubameyang saved our bacon with his goals?"

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