"We have to put the focus on us. We have to find back to our principles even more so after the international break," said Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel to journalists on Friday before Borussia Dortmund's home match against Werder Bremen on Saturday night. The 14th-placed team from the Weser might just be the right opponent for the Black and Yellows to kick off a crucial month for the club both on and off the field.
No disrespect to this weekend's opponents, but decisive weeks will follow in quick succession; Tuchel's men cannot allow themselves a bad day in the office in either of the Europa League ties against Liverpool or the Revierderby in between. They also can't afford to rest easy in the looming cup semifinal against Hertha Berlin the week after the return leg at Anfield. April will show whether the hopes to clinch silverware in Tuchel's first season are justified, as the chase will come right down to the wire.
Meanwhile, the club is also in negotiations to extend with three key players whose contracts run out in 2017. The fan-dubbed "big three" of Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are all world-class players that form the spine of the team. Binding them to the club would be a huge success for Dortmund's long-term ambitions, while the departure of either single one of them would be a huge blow.
As is characteristic for the international break, the rumor mill was churning out numerous reports about the trio. Mkhitaryan has been once again linked with a move to Juventus by his agent Mino Raiola, who also represents the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba, as Sportbild reported that the player agreed on an extension with the club back in November 2015. Mkhitaryan's rise naturally bears a logical rise in salary and his signature seems to be the most certain of the three.
Captain Mats Hummels, on the other hand, has been thinking out loud in an TV interview following Germany's 3-2 friendly loss to England on Saturday, stating his uncertainty about signing his "perhaps last big contract" with Borussia Dortmund. Though the club can make several good arguments to convince their captain to stay on board for a while longer, as it's uncanny that things are moving into the right direction for the Black and Yellows.
Yet ongoing speculation about the future of Hummels, Mkhitaryan and Gundogan were all overshadowed by the emerging story of a potential move of Mario Gotze back to his old club. It has been the hot topic throughout the international break and chances are it will remain this way until either side will thoroughly deny it.
A potential return of the once-upon-a-time BVB starlet, the player who came through Dortmund's youth ranks only to leave for BVB's biggest sporting rivals Bayern, has Dortmund supports split right down the middle on whether that would be a good idea. While some regard the unquestionable talent of the 23-year-old and consider him a fitting addition to their squad, others still hold a grudge over Gotze, who left after going on record that he could imagine ending his career at the club in 2013. Die Welt claimed that Gotze already wanted to return in 2015, but Borussia Dortmund allegedly didn't have the funds to finance the deal.
Thomas Tuchel can only hope that heated speculation will simmer down now that international break is over. He cannot afford any more distractions. After all, BVB have the ambition to win the cup competitions while keeping the pressure on Bayern in the league. They have a good chance of doing so if they pick up where they left off before the international break, which saw a 15-game unbeaten streak come to a two-week halt.
Werder Bremen should be Dortmund's the perfect sparring partner as they look to regain momentum and make it 16 games without defeat. The Northerners only managed to win one of the last nine matches against the Westphalians and have to make do without veteran striker Claudio Pizarro (who scored 11 goals in the last 10 matches) and centre-half Papy Djilobodji, who is suspended.
That said, Tuchel has some personnel worries of his own. Centre-half Neven Subotic is out for the rest of the season due to thrombosis in his arm -- his medication and treatment plan will prevent the 27-year-old from contact sport, as club press officer Sascha Fligge explained on Friday. Dortmund will also have to cope without their orchestrator, Ilkay Gundogan, in midfield, who is set to join team training next week after suffering a bone bruise in the 0-0 draw against Bayern at the beginning of March.
Tuchel will also have to consider the toll that the international break takes on players. Players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Shinji Kagawa or Mkhitaryan racked up serious mileage while traveling around the globe to play for their respective national teams and might feel the wear.
If that's an issue, the Dortmund coach can trust players like Gonzalo Castro, who weren't called up for international duty, to chip for the likes of Marco Reus or Mkhitaryan if need be. Tuchel explained on Friday that success in all three competitions is only possible if they take each game step by step. Yet he also hinted that he is not neglecting the bigger picture, speaking about "needing fresh legs in the coming weeks."
Against Bremen, BVB can take the proverbial "next step" and secure a third place finish with a win. If Gladbach beat Hertha Berlin, Dortmund couldn't finish lower than second. At this point, second place in the league is a mere formality for die Schwarzgelben but it could add a bit of extra motivation going into Matchday 28.
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