Dortmund Star Schmelzer Furious After Lack of Effort From Players in Bremen Loss Amid Bosz Dismissal

Borussia Dortmund captain Marcel Schmelzer described his side's performance against Werder Bremen as 'absolute impudence' after the German giants suffered a 2-1 defeat at home.

BVB saw their current losing streak extended to eight games in the Bundesliga, resulting in their descent from first in the table to seventh, and resulting in manager Peter Bosz's dismissal. Peter Stöger replaces the Dutchman.

A visibly agitated Schmelzer said after the game that the efforts of the players deserved the jeers that they received from the crowd, claiming: 

"Now is not the time for words but it's time for us players to bust our butts, i'm not in the mood to talk about what happened today. I'm just pissed off about how we present ourselves here at home. It's extremely annoying.

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"Three days ago, I said that it's nice for everyone to play in Madrid [in the Champions League] but it's about showing the passion in the Bundesliga's everyday life and wanting to achieve the turnaround, which is why I find it completely understandable that the fans boo.

"If you do everything in your power but you shoot the ball against your teammate's head three times and do not win a point because of that, then it's OK -- but if you present yourself the way we did today barring the 15 minutes when we actually played football, that's an absolute impudence."

Schmelzer was quick to defend his coach, Peter Bosz, albeit prior to his dismissal, saying: "The coach is the poorest sod. It's us players, who shoot the ball out of bounds, who do not defend the goals, who can't defend set pieces. The coach can't sub himself on and score the goals himself.

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"I'm sorry if I keep repeating myself on a weekly basis but it's us players [who are at fault] and today's game is annoying me so much."

Bosz had described the fixture as a must-win game for his side, but Dortmund found themselves trailing the 17th place side 1-0 in the first half.

When asked if he would criticise his side's first-half showing, the 29-year-old replied: "What would you say? It's an absolute impudence the way we presented ourselves in the first half."

Although Dortmund pulled the game level after halftime with a goal from talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, it would not be enough, as Theodor Gebre Selassie headed home from a corner, to ensure all three points for the visitors.

When asked what his side did better during the period where they were getting the better of Bremen, the left back replied: "We actually played football in those 10-15 minutes. Everyone offered himself [as a passing option], everyone wanted to turn this game around, helping each other out, showing options to the teammate who had the ball.

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"Of course, it's no fun for the fans if we always pass the ball backwards but if the players move as little as we did in the first half -- and also after the equaliser -- as if we had already won it -- then it's impossible [to move the ball forward]. Bremen showed us how two strikers can succeed against four or five opponents up front by simply moving.

"As I said, it also worked against Madrid but we have to get it into our heads that this has to also work in the Bundesliga -- not only in the Champions League. You can only play in the Champions League if you do your homework in the Bundesliga."

Schmelzer also urged his side to take pride in their performances, despite the poor result, stating:"It's time for us to pull our heads out of our behinds and show on the pitch that we are there. We must play football," he said. "Of course, it's a s---y situation but nobody has to be afraid to play football. That's our job.

"Bremen showed us how it's done. They wanted to play football even when things got tough for them. They wanted to move the ball from the back, their players made the runs to be open. They helped each other out -- and this is what we have to understand: that this is the only way."

Dortmund face off against Mainz during the week as they look to get their Bundesliga campaign back on track, with Peter Stöger at the helm.