Borussia Dortmund’s Marcel Schmelzer still has his sights set on second place in the Bundesliga. “But it’s going to be very tough,” the full back admitted on Wednesday in La Manga, Spain, before taking a critical look at the last couple of months.

“Our finishing has of course been a popular topic in the media, but we have also conceded way too many goals. In the first half of the season almost as many as in the entire title-winning seasons,” said Schmelzer, adding: “Especially after losing possession, we need to work harder trying to win the ball back quickly. That has made us strong in the past.” Schmelzer said that even in the friendly matches in La Manga (2-0 against Standard Liege, and 2-1 against VfL Bochum) everyone could see that BVB looked “too lethargic.”

Schmelzer, who missed the latter part of the first half of the season due to a torn calf muscle, is feeling physically fit right now and ready to make an impact. He also said that it’s “really great” that his BVB teammate Erik Durm stood in for him so well during his absence. “I’m proud that I always get along well with my competitors. Just like I used to ask Dede for advice, Erik sometimes asks for my opinion about this and that matter. From a sporting point of view, it’s always important to have real competition inside the squad.”

The next test for Schmelzer and BVB will be right after the La Manga training camp. The team will return to Germany on Friday before taking on second division top side 1.FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday (kick-off 1530 CET, live coverage on SWR television).