Frost when leaving Dortmund, 15 degrees and bright, sunny skies in Marbella - the Black and Yellows are spending 8 days in southern Spain to prepare for the second half of the season. No one is quite sure yet just how turbulent it will be...

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is ahead of the rest. 238 of his fellow Bundesliga players have voted him the best player in the first half of the 2016/17 season. "It is no surprise, given his 16 goals - some of which were fantastic - in 15 appearances in the first half of the season," writes kicker. "The Dortmund striker has earned his contemporaries' respect with his seemingly effortless accuracy in front of goal, with more than a third voting for him." The magazine HORIZONT acknowledged Hans-Joachim Watzke as "Businessman of the Year" in the marketing category. "Hans-Joachim Watzke played a major role in turning an organisation that was heading towards a crisis into Germany's second most-powerful football brand."

4-1 against PSV Eindhoven, 3-0 against Liège, 6-1 against Paderborn. Following three victories during the winter break, Dortmund began the second half of the season with a 2-1 win at SV Werder Bremen. After making a strong start and taking an early lead through André Schürrle, Roman Weidenfeller and the crossbar helped keep the score at 1-0. After the break, a brave Bremen side, down to ten men following a red card for goalkeeper Drobny in the 39th minute, equalised in the 59th minute via Finn Bartels. In the end, BVB secured a deserved winner in the 71st minute thanks to Lukasz Piszczek's strike. Borussia climbed to 4th place in the table but missed an opportunity to build on this with a 1-1 draw in Mainz a week later. Dortmund took the lead with the game's first shot on target, after Schürrle won the ball and Reus applied the finish. They could have doubled their lead with chances for Aubameyang in the 5th minute and Castro in the 11th, and they were punished for not doing so. In the 83rd minute Mainz equalised through Latza. Captain Marcel Schmelzer: "I am not disappointed. I am annoyed!"

Alexander Isak, a 17-year-old Swedish forward and youth prospect, has signed a long-term contract with BVB. "A number of top clubs in Europe wanted to sign him," explains a proud Michael Zorc. At the same time, Christian Pulisic (aged 18) has extended his contract early to 30th June 2020. Leaving the club are Adrian Ramos and Neven Subotic (on loan to 1. FC Köln for 6 months). (br)