'We Are Not Bayern Hunters: Dortmund President Concedes BVB Need to Lower Expectations

Borussia Dortmund's president Reinhard Rauball has expressed his disappointment at the club's performance this season and admitted that they are long way from catching up with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

As the season draws to a close, Dortmund sit in third place - a massive 24 points behind the leaders Munich. As questions around the club's future continue to be asked, Rauball believes that a new direction and view is needed.

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Speaking to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung (translated by Bavarian Football Works), Rauball said: "I think we would be wise if we did not view ourselves as 'Bayern-hunters', at least not in the short term.

"I think we should lower our expectations somewhat and see ourselves as people trying to create a soccer future."

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Much of Dortmund's recent downfall has coincided with the departure of a number of the team's top players in recent years, and Rauball was quick to point out this out as one of the biggest contributing factors.

"The level of the roster has been crumbling away over the years. We’ve lost—in no particular order—a Hummels, for a while a World-Cup-winner in Götze, Lewandowski, Aubameyang, Dembélé, Mkhitaryan, Gündogan. 

"That's a team of international calibre. Replacement transfers have not been able to compensate for it."

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However, despite Rauball's disappointment, he doesn't feel that the Bundesliga should pursue a proposed playoff system designed to increase the league's competitiveness. 

Giving a clear verdict on the matter, he remarked: "You should not change the structures simply to undermine the position that a successful club has created for itself.

"Soccer is a cultural heritage in Germany. And the Bundesliga is a part of it. It is not without reason that I argue that the sport should be incorporated in the constitution."