The management, the coach and the team can count on the full support of the fans and club members. If BVB received a point for each time the members at Sunday’s general meeting gave a standing ovation, they would have jumped from 16th to top spot in the Bundesliga table.

But that’s not the way it goes. On Saturday, straight after the 2-2 draw to Paderborn “that felt like a defeat” (sporting director Michael Zorc), Jürgen Klopp addressed the problem, saying: “Anyone who hopes to wake up in the Europa League will be mistaken. The path to get there will be tough. Quality is making the most your potential.” On Saturday, the team didn’t make the most of it, at least not for the full 90 minutes.

At Sunday’s general meeting, BVB chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke told the team, which was welcomed by thunderous applause by the members, “The poison of hearing things somehow will sort themselves out has to get out of your ears. To stand where you stand after 12 games cannot only be blamed on evil forces. You will need to pull out all the stops now.”

The Borussia Dortmund chairman hailed the team’s first half-display, but criticised them for switching into a “game-management mode” after the break. “In the second half you should have wrapped it up, as you used to do in the past, with determination and focus.”