Borussia's confidence is back again at last

For the coach of the Blackyellows this is reason enough to keep reminding everyone. 'We can't ease off now', Jürgen Klopp said after what was even according to him the 'perfect afternoon' in the match against Schalke. Looking at the facts that they have won four times, but there is still only a five point gap to the relegation place, you can judge for yourself what kind of a position the team was in and still is in.

The Offensive in excellent form

But still: BVB played against Schalke in a way they have been known to play for years. Jürgen Klopp said: 'we let the ball run really well from the first until the last minute, we went into the right spaces and we really pressed well against them'. The match against the hopelessly inferior team from Gelsenkirchen was like seeing the reincarnation of the 'old' BVB. Synonymous to this is the way Henrikh Mkhitaryan is playing.

After the game the Armenian said: 'that was the best game that we have played this season. I am over the moon.' It was not just THE best game, it was especially HIS best game. After 45 unsuccessful attempts on goal so far this season Micki scored at last, and just before that he gave a fine pass - even if it was deflected - to make it 1:0. 'It was totally important that he always upped the tempo, he was very confident on the ball', the manager praised Mkhitaryan, who according to Klopp also played very well in tracking back: 'as for defensive tactics it was the best game I have seen him play for Borussia Dortmund. That can make him feel liberated now.'

The best attacking duo in the league at the moment

The Armenian has caught the vibe of the excellent form of the two offensive specialists at his side. Anyway, it appears that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus have infected the whole team with a new sense of confidence. As strong as a bear, Reus has amassed five scorer points (4 goals, 1 assist) in the last four matches. Auba even goes one better with five goals and setting up two goals. Only Arjen Robben and Bas Dost are in the same vein of form at the moment in the league. And when it comes to celebrating a goal, Reus and Aubameyang have set the new benchmark with their Batman & Robin interplay. 

And in the wake of the much improved attack Shinji Kagawa is also getting closer and closer to his best form. He turned the Schalke defense inside out under really tight conditions again and again and he was unlucky that his lob over S04 keeper Wellenreuther only just missed the goal. The Japanese seems to be lacking just this one goal at the moment to really make it all happen for him. That is already the case in the Borussia defense.

The confidence is back

The game against Schalke is the third time BVB has not conceded a goal after the winter break. This is already one more time than in the complete first half of the season. The whole BVB defensive line showed a very convincing performance in the local derby from start to finish. Mats Hummels played his precise and much feared long balls from the back time and time again, Neven Subotic was like a rock in the centre of defense, Marcel Schmelzer and Oliver Kirch played without making a single mistake and always proved to be dangerous coming forward over the flanks. Schalke did not get in front of the BVB goal and have a dangerous attack even one single time, Roman Weidenfeller did not have to make a single save and he only touched the ball 11 times in the whole 90 minutes.

Mats Hummels said: 'I have always said that our problem was lack of confidence. Now everyone of us knows how good they can play again.' Borussia Dortmund has got its confidence back. And with a derby win like this behind us that confidence is very unlikely to disappear again.

Dennis-Julian Gottschlich