体坛英语新闻：News Analysis: Bad vibrations for Dortmund

BERLIN, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Financially Borussia Dortmund has never been in better shape than today but the club's future though is uncertain as far as Europe's top football echelons are concerned.

Even though the 2011 and 2012 German Champions lost their first Champions League match in Group D 0-2 to Arsenal (Yaya Sanogo 2nd and Alexis Sanchez 57th) on Wednesday evening, they will still stay top of the table having already won four consecutive games.

They have also already qualified for the knock-out stages that start with the last 16 in mid-February 2015. Back home in the German Bundesliga it will require a miracle if Dortmund - only 16th at the moment - can claw its way up the table and grab a Champions League position at the end of the season. Meaning Dortmund is likely to miss next season's Champions League.

The league crisis meanwhile had led to a somber mood among Borussia's top management. Until now, it was only the Champions League that kept their spirits up. After the game in London - Dortmund's worst display so far - the atmosphere within the club may well worsen.

"One year without the Champions League is not a serious problem for Borussia," said club boss Hans-Joachim Watzke. "But of course it will stop us from growing as fast as we would like too."

What Watzke did not talk about is the trouble his club can get into without being a part of the Champions league. According to rumours not only the top striker Marco Reus, who is currently injured, might want to leave the club but also world champion Mats Hummels and midfielder Ilkay Guendogan as well. All three are ambitious and want to play at on the highest possible club level.

On top, the first pundits - like the former Real Madrid midfielder Bernd Schuster - are openly criticizing Dortmund's Juergen Klopp. A fiery coach with a special character, he has a contract until 2018 but Schuster feels he may be sacked earlier if he does not change his attitude towards his players. Many of them have lacked concentration for the past couple of months and it is hard for the team to find consistency.

Dortmund's explosive attacking game is tough both mentally and physically. Klopp - some say - leaves a far too big comfort-zone for his players. On top - as rumors say - some European clubs (like Arsenal) are interested to sign Klopp as their next coach.

What will make club boss Watzke angry about the Arsenal game is that the team did not clinch the one point they need to be assured of finishing top of the group and thus avoid meeting the so-called big boys in the last 16. That - no doubt - would give them the chance to invest more energy into their Bundesliga games up until spring 2015.

All of Dortmund's played below themselves - which is not surprising in the case of Ilkay Guendogan as the Arsenal game was his first appearance since the 2013 final when Dortmund lost 0-1 to Bayern Munich. As Ciro Immobile and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were out of sorts and Hendrikh Mkhitarian was not at all efficient - Dortmund was not real threat to Arsenal who made up for their 2-0 loss in Dortmund. More than ever before in the Champions League, Dortmund missed the genius of Marco Reus. Their defense was also far from solid.

Dortmund fans now fear that losing in the Champions League might increase the problems back home in the Bundesliga. Maybe Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp fears the same.

In the Emirates Stadium Klopp was seen shouting and screaming on the edge of his coaching zone and looking far from a happy. Now Dortmund will have to wait until the last group match day (when they face the Belgian side Anderlecht) to have the chance of securing the top position. One point for Dortmund (12 points in the group) will most possibly be enough to stay ahead of Arsenal (second of the group with 10 points). Arsenal's win has clinched them a place in the next round.

At the end, there is only one positive thing about Dortmund's game against Arsenal - all their players have come through injury free.