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The 2014-15 season of Bundesliga has been a cataclysmic one for the former German champions Borussia Dortmund, who are currently languishing in the drop zone having accumulated a paltry 15 points from the first 17 fixtures.Although they managed to pull off some impressive results in the DFB Pokal Cup and the Champions League, their league form has been horrific. With their star man Robert Lewandowski joining bete noir Bayern Munich, Der BVB endured a busy 2014 summer transfer window which saw them shipping in Ciro Immobile, Adrian Ramos, Matthias Ginter, and also complete an emotional reunion with Shinji Kagawa.We now rate each of these summer recruits on the basis of their performances so far:
#1 Adrian Ramos
There was a lot of anticipation surrounding the Colombian’s transfer given his five stellar seasons with Hertha Berlin, but with each passing game with Dortmund, the fanfare has dissipated as Ramos has failed to live up to the hype while his goalscoring run has also taken a massive nosedive.
Since the start of the season, the 29-year old has represented the Ruhr Valley outfit 21 times in all competitions with a return of only six goals and two assists in the process. Also, his league goal tally amounts to only two. Not an impressive figure for a player who once posed a serious challenge for the domestic Golden Boot.
Ramos has looked totally devoid of confidence in front of goal and his performances have left a lot to be desired. With still 50% of the season to be played, the Colombian international has a handful of games to conjure his goalscoring best and salvage the season, as so far, it has been a disappointment.
Rating: 5/10
#2 Ciro Immobile
With the departure of Robert Lewandowski, many feared that Dortmund would struggle for goals and unfortunately, all such premonitions have come true. Even the big money arrival in the form of Ciro Immobile hasn't seen a lot of improvement in the fortunes of Borussia.
The Italy international was signed for a reported sum of £20 million from Serie A side Torino, on the back of a memorable spell with The Maroons. Immobile was a colossal figure in Torino’s impressive 7th place finish in Italy’s top flight last term and was also the top scorer in the league with 22 strikes. However, the 25-year old has not really emulated those heroics with Dortmund.
With manager Jurgen Klopp chopping and changing between him and Ramos for the striker's role, the former did show glimpses of his talent in fits and starts but couldn't build on it when handed first team football. While his eight goals in 18 appearances in all competitions is a decent return, it pales in comparison to the standards he's set for himself in recent years.
Without an iota of doubt, Immobile is a talented player but needs to get back to his A1 game to cement a place in the starting XI.
Rating: 6.5/10
#3 Shinji Kagawa
When he first joined Dortmund back in 2010 from Cerezo Osaka, Kagawa was one of the brightest upcoming prospects and just proved that when he engineered their way to two back to back league titles, including an unprecedented German double in 2012. An appreciative Manchester United came calling for his services that same year and after being handed the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, Kagawa answered the call and went on to endure the two worst years of his career.
The Japanese hardly made any substantial contribution there and eventually moved back to Westfalenstadion last summer where his struggles have continued. Although he marked his return with a bang when he scored a goal and set-up another on his debut to help Dortmund prevail 3-1 over Freiburg, the 25-year old couldn't add flesh to it and his form waned with each passing week. At mid-season, he stands with a meagre two goals and two assists in nearly 19 hours of game time.
The form of his first spell hasn't been unleashed yet and in 2015, fans are just hoping that it will happen. All in all, it has been a stop-start second stint for Kagawa with Dortmund.
Rating: 6/10
#4 Matthias Ginter
Borussia Dortmund’s sole business in the defensive half came in the shape of Matthias Ginter, who was signed from their Bundesliga counterparts Freiburg for an undisclosed fee.
The 21-year-old defender has spent a considerable amount of time warming the bench and has been restricted to just nine starts, all of which have come in the absence of club’s preferred choices, Sokratis and Mats Hummels.
In those games, Ginter has had to deputise for them, but his calm demeanour was not reflected in them as he stuttered gravely due to the demands of first team football. The German has been very shaky at the back and has been beaten too easily. He also committed some silly errors that have cost his side dearly.
Aged just 21, Ginter is still very raw and with plenty of support from the club, he may one day be the player he's promised to be but at the moment, he's a long way from it.
Rating: 5/10
