Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp says he does not expect "Champagne football" from his side as they battle to avoid relegation at the bottom of the Bundesliga.
Dortmund slipped back into last place despite Saturday’s goalless draw at fellow Champions League side Bayer Leverkusen.
Before kick-off, Freiburg’s 4-1 comeback win at home to Eintracht Frankfurt had lifted Christian Streich’s side up to 13th and had sent Klopp’s side bottom for the first time since November.
Despite their precarious position, Dortmund are just three points from mid-table ahead of Wednesday’s Bundesliga match at Augsburg.
“That was an important point. I am happy, we’re within in striking distance,” said Klopp as Dortmund endure their worst start to a Bundesliga season for 30 years.
“That was a tough game to start the second half of the season and was very intensive football.
“I can’t preach that we are in a relegation battle and demand Champagne football.”
Borussia Dortmund failed to break the hosts’ defence at Leverkusen’s BayArena as Dortmund’s Italy striker Ciro Immobile squandered several second-half chances.
At the other end, Dortmund’s Germany defender Mats Hummels headed Gonzalo Castro’s first-half shot off the line in the hosts’ best chance after Castro had earlier shot over the bar.
“We can live with that. This isn’t an easy place to come and pick up anything,” said Borussia Dortmund’s new signing Kevin Kampl.
“We knew they had an extremely good pressing game, perhaps it wasn’t the best football, but the main thing for us is to pick up points – even if it was just one today.”
With just 16 points from 18 games, Klopp has serious problems up front as his attack has netted just 18 goals all season.
Klopp’s new strikers Immobile and Adrian Ramos have struggled to provide the 22 goals Robert Lewandowski hit in 34 games last season before joining Bayern Munich.
With ten defeats in 18 games, Klopp’s side have the worst record in Germany’s top flight as they look to avoid dropping out of the Bundesliga for the first time since 1976, while Bayer are fifth.
Meanwhile Schalke’s star striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will miss Tuesday’s Bundesliga clash at leaders Bayern Munich after being sent off in their 1-0 league win over Hannover.
“The Hunter”, who has claimed seven league goals this season, was shown a straight red for hacking down Hannover’s Manuel Schmiedebach five minutes from time.
The Dutch international has netted 66 goals in 117 league games at Schalke, but is now suspended for what already looked a difficult league clash at Bayern’s Allianz Arena on Tuesday.
“The red card against Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has hurt us,” admitted Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo.
“It was a foul and the referee was in a good position.
“Klaas-Jan was trying to win the ball, but didn’t succeed and, of course, it’s a pity he will be missing now.”
Schalke went ahead at the Veltins Arena when midfielder Marco Hoger slotted his shot past Hannover’s Germany goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler with 32 minutes gone.
The win lifted Di Matteo’s Schalke, who face holders Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League next month, up to fourth in the table.
Pep Guardiola’s Bayern had their lead cut to eight points on Friday when they suffered a shock 4-1 hammering at second-placed Wolfsburg as the Bundesliga resumed after the winter break.
Borussia Monchengladbach went third in the league on Saturday after Patrick Herrmann netted their second-half goal in a 1-0 win over Stuttgart, who dropped to second from bottom.
Herrmann drilled home Branimir Hrgota’s swirling cross 20 minutes from time to move Lucien Favre’s side up behind leaders Bayern and Wolfsburg.
Freiburg’s 4-1 win over Frankfurt featured a second-half hat-trick from ex-Bayern striker Nils Petersen, who came off the bench to grab the points for Freiburg and leave Borussia Dortmund bottom.
Cologne pulled away from the relegation zone and up to tenth with a 2-0 win at strugglers Hamburg, who drop to 15th and just above the bottom three.
Cologne picked up their fifth away win, to match Bayern’s tally on the road as midfielder Marcel Risse scored both second-half goals.
He fired his first through the legs of Hamburg goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny before burying a final pass from Nigeria’s Anthony Ujah 12 minutes from time.
Mid-table Mainz romped to a 5-0 win over Paderborn as midfielder Yunus Malli scored twice and set up their third.
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