For Borussia Dortmund fans (including me), this is becoming a familiar story - one of which we have become thoroughly bored.
The latest edition of Der Klassiker saw Bayern Munich beat Dortmund 3-2. Robert Lewandowski took out his frustration over his Ballon d'Or snub on his former club, scoring two of Bayern's goals including the winning goal from the penalty spot. With the victory, Bayern extended their lead over Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga to four points as they once again march seemingly unopposed to yet another league title.
For the umpteenth time, Dortmund came up short against their Bavarian rivals. Die Schwarzgelbe have now lost eight consecutive league matches against Bayern. Discounting their DFL-Supercup victory as it was not a meaningful match, Dortmund's most recent win over Bayern which was relevant came in the league in November 2018.
At this point, it is as much a question of mindset as it is of ability. Even though Dortmund have seldom been the favourites heading into Der Klassiker, a run of eight consecutive losses does make one wonder - do they genuinely believe they can actually beat Bayern? Too many times, Dortmund have simply folded against Bayern when the pressure has been at its highest.
While the most recent match was by no means Dortmund's worst showing against Bayern, it is nevertheless worth noting that they lost by one goal which came relatively late. Though it is commendable that they were able to keep the score level for as long as they did, losing the match in such a way might speak to a lack of execution in high-pressure scenarios.
However, unlike previous matches against Bayern, this edition of Der Klassiker had a notable subplot which will be expected to run all through this season as beyond: the possible transfer of Erling Haaland. Transfer rumours linking Dortmund's Norwegian ace to Real Madrid have only become louder in recent weeks. The centre-forward has reportedly claimed to favour a move to the Spanish capital if he were to leave Signal Iduna Park at the conclusion of this season.
Real are expected to offer Dortmund a transfer fee of €100 million or more to bring Haaland to the Santiago Bernabéu. This is once again a scenario familiar to Dortmund fans - watching a star centre-forward develop at the club, emerge as one of the world's elite players, and eventually leave. It happened with Robert Lewandowski, and it happened with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The sad reality is that Haaland is almost certain to join them in doing so. The question is more of "when" rather than "if".
That said, there is one key difference between Haaland's future departure and those of big names before him. Unlike the departures of Lewandowski and Aubameyang, Haaland's impending departure will leave an even bigger void than those before him did. Unfortunately, Dortmund have clearly become over-reliant on Haaland. Although there are solid players such as Jude Belllingham, Julian Brandt, Mahmoud Dahoud, and Donyell Malen are all up-and-comers who likely have solid futures ahead of them, none seem set to ever even come close to the level at which Haaland is now playing.
Although the season thus far may not have gone according to plan for Dortmund, there is one avenue by which they might be able to salvage their season: the Europa League. Haaland's injury earlier in the season caused Dortmund to lose key Champions League matches and be forced to enter the Europa League starting from its round of 32. Now, Dortmund will be the overwhelming favorites to win the Europa League. While it may not have the prestige of the Champions League, it is, as they say, "better than nothing".
It has been 11 years since under the all-time great coaching of Jürgen Klopp, Dortmund first established themselves as a genuine force to be reckoned with. Since then, the club has enjoyed an unprecedented era of success. Is it possible that this era may soon be coming to an end? Perhaps, but it's also possible that Dortmund might be able to finish it strongly.
This time around, it might not just be Dortmund's current season at a crossroads - it could very well be the next few after that as well. The 2021-22 season seems to be shaping up to be Dortmund's most pivotal in a very long time.
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