Frank Augstein/Associated Press

5 Things Learned from Borussia Dortmund's 2014/15 Bundesliga Season

Stefan Bienkowski

Well, that will be that. Borussia Dortmund have concluded another Bundesliga and Champions League campaign and following this Saturday's DFB Pokal final the squad will break up for the summer months. 

Then, in just a month or so, they will return to find a new manager at the helm where Jurgen Klopp once stood. Thomas Tuchel's time at Dortmund is about to start and with it usher in a whole new era for Germany's second biggest club. 

Until then much of the talk and comprehensive analysis will focus on what has been rather than what is surely to come. Dortmund have near enough finished the 2014/15 season. 

So what have we learned from it?

They Haven't Replaced Robert Lewandowski

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Perhaps the most notable difference from this season and the last has been the manner in which Dortmund have led the line in attack. 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has done a remarkable job bagging 24 goals in all competitions this season, but aside from the former Saint-Etienne striker, Dortmund's strikers have been lacking. 

A hole, notably shaped like former star Robert Lewandowski, still sits in this side and neither Ciro Immobile or Adrian Ramos have been given the time or indeed backing to try to fill it. Dortmund may have talent in their three strikers, but this team has done very little to combat what they lost in the Bayern Munich forward. 

Marco Reus Is Here to Stay

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

This summer transfer window could have already gone a lot worse for Dortmund. Sure, Ilkay Gundogan may attempt to make a move and rumours will continue to surround the likes of Mats Hummels and other star players yet one thing is for sure: Marco Reus is staying put. 

The forward may not have every intention of sticking around for all four years of his extended deal, but the decision to sign on the dotted line back in February felt as good as any cup trophy for most Dortmund fans. 

Whatever may come next season the club can rest in the knowledge that Reus will be there. 

Nuri Sahin Is the Real Star in Midfield

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

There's a great myth currently circulating around European football that suggests that Gundogan has returned to his best form and could well be on his way to revolutionising some super club's midfield this summer. 

Rumours such as this published by Ed Malyon in the Mirror on May 24 herald the midfielder as the real engine behind Dortmund, yet in truth that isn't exactly correct. 

The man who truly dictates play in this current side and indeed pulls the strings in every attack isn't Gundogan or indeed Reus; it's Nuri Sahin. The Turkish international's lengthy injuries throughout the season have been notably felt in a midfield that can only really offer Sven Bender or retiring Sebastian Kehl as alternatives. 

Dortmund can live on without Gundogan because they'll still have Sahin in the heart of midfield. 

There's a Lot of Deadwood in This Side

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We've already spoken about the possibility of Gundogan leaving and Reus' decision to stay on after this current season, but much of this campaign has been dogged by the rather serious realisation that Klopp's team is populated by a number of duds. 

Sure, many would have once been at the top of their game two or three seasons ago but when we look through this team it's clear for all to see that incoming manager Thomas Tuchel may very well push through a complete fire sale this summer. 

Roman Weidenfeller, Marcel Schmelzer and Lukasz Piszczek all offer very little in terms of defending their own goal these days and in attack we have a whole list of players who incredibly inconsistent. 

Tuchel may yet have time for the likes of Shinji Kagawa, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Milos Jojic, Kevin Grosskreutz, Immobile and Ramos, but it seems unlikely if he also hopes to bring in his own players. 

Jurgen Klopp Is Probably Right to Leave

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Perhaps the toughest pill to swallow this summer for many fans won't be the notion of Klopp leaving Dortmund, but rather that he's probably absolutely right to do so. 

His seven years at the club has brought unheralded success to a team that was down on its luck before he arrived. Fast forward to the present day and the club are undoubtedly in a much healthier and better position following his stewardship. 

Yet this season in isolation has been a disaster. Finishing outside the top-four positions and the manner in which the club completely broke down over the winter break suggested that the popular coach had pushed this team one season more than he should. 

A fresh approach is much needed in Dortmund and the club will get it this summer under Tuchel. But just what could have been if Klopp had decided to step down last summer?

   

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