Julian Brandt: Players must take responsibility to get Borussia Dortmund out of current rut

Julian Brandt believes that the players must lead the way and help lift Borussia Dortmund out of the current hole they find themselves in.

Borussia Dortmund continued their woeful run of form on Tuesday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Mainz 05. Julian Brandt's exquisite first-half free-kick was not enough, as the Black and Yellows capped off a winless December with an uninspired performance against a relegation threatened Mainz side.

BVB now go into the winter break in a very precarious position, and their winless run has led to increasing pressure on Edin Terzic, with many calling for the head coach to be sacked. But Julian Brandt does not have any problems with the 41 year old, and instead wants the team's leading players to step up and set the tone to turn things around.

In an interview with Sat.1, Brandt said: "The situation sucks. It feels awful to go into the break like this. It's an unsatisfactory end to an unsatisfactory first half of the season. I have no problems at all with the coach. It's the easiest story to tell that there's something wrong between the team and the coach. But we players have a huge responsibility and have to live up to it. Over the next two weeks, we have to think about that and set ourselves personal goals, what we actually want to achieve in the second half of the season and what our goals are for the club."

Borussia Dortmund now have a three-week break that will give them the opportunity to reflect and find solutions to their recent woes. While things look bleak right now, the hope will be that the team can enjoy a stunning resurgence after the winter break, much like they did in the second half of last season.