Under Pressure Peter Bosz Insists Dortmund's Champions League Exit Is Due to Lack of Confidence

Borussia Dortmund boss Peter Bosz has put his side's 2-1 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur down to a simple lack of confidence within his players' game. 

The Dutchman, who was celebrating his 54th birthday as he witnessed his side crash out of the Champions League at the group stages for the first time since 2011, finds himself under increasing pressure from the Signal Iduna Park hierarchy following yet another disappointing result. 

It looked as though Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's opener on the half-hour mark could well have allowed BVB to exit this year's competition with at least some dignity in tact, and finally bring an end to their wretched form, which has now seen them pick up just one win in their last nine outings. 

However, two second-half strikes from Tottenham attackers Harry Kane and Son Heung-min piled the misery onto Bosz, who now knows a defeat in Dortmund's local derby against Schalke on Saturday could well bring an end to his reign at the Signal Iduna Park. 

"After it had gone to 1-1, you could see that my players were simply lacking the confidence to carry on", the former Ajax manager told the club's official website after the defeat. 

"We played well in the first half, defended compactly, and created chances for ourselves. We didn't do that any more after the equaliser. 

"The goal we conceded came about due to a mistake we made ourselves. After that, we did not play good football anymore, and we need to be honest about that. 

"Individual mistakes of that kind can simply not be allowed to happen at the level we are playing at. We were simply lacking confidence. 

"If you don't win for a long time, that's logical. For that reason, I was actually very proud after the first half, but after the score went to 1-1, you could see how low we are on confidence. 

"We have to win the derby now. We simply have to win."