25.11.2014 12:55 h

Watzke demands 'blood, sweat, tears' from Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund boss Hans-Joachim Watzke has said only 'blood, sweat, tears' and league points will turn around the club's dire Bundesliga plight in their bid to escape the relegation places.

Dortmund play Arsenal on Wednesday having already reached the Champions League knock-out phase with two game to spare and are five points clear of the second-placed Gunners at the top of Group D.

But Borussia are enduring the worst start to a league season in the club's history after losing seven of their first 12 games following a dire series of domestic results.

Their 2-2 draw at Paderborn on Saturday left them 16th in the table and back amongst the relegation places.

To compound their problems, Germany winger Marco Reus was ruled out of their next seven matches, until early January 2015, with his sixth ankle injury in the last 12 months.

Watzke has demanded hard work from everyone at the club to help pick up points in their remaining Bundesliga games of 2014 against Eintracht Frankfurt, Hoffenheim, Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen.

"Anyone who thinks they are here just to administer football is definitely in the wrong place," Dortmund's CEO told the club's Annual General Meeting in Dortmund on Monday.

"When you are 16th in the table, that means blood, sweat and tears. That is our path for the next few weeks."

Dortmund's participation in next season's Champions League is in dire jeopardy unless they finish in the top four of Germany's top flight or win the Champions League final in Berlin on June 6.

But Watzke says the club will cope if they miss out on the multi-million dollar payday of competing in the 2015/16 Champions League and are debt free just a decade after being on the brink of bankruptcy.

"Should we not reach the Champions League, that would not be a turning point," insisted Watzke.

"There would only be a kink in our growth's momentum if we don't manage it."

Watzke says Dortmund can expect to return figures of 300 million euros ($373m) of turnover, having made 50 million euros profit in the 2012/2013 season from the transfer of Germany star Mario Goetze to Bayern Munich.