It was a season to remember for Borussia Dortmund, who showed tremendous promise under Niko Kovac's first full-season in charge and achieved a runners-up finish for the first time since 2023.
The BVB also accomplished quite a rare feat of coming through as the side with the best defensive record for having conceded the least number of goals in the Bundesliga.
For the first time in a while, Die Borussen also managed to put up a strong title challenge to Bayern Munich. Had it not been for a sudden and inexplicable implosion late on, it might have gone down to the wire too.
On paper, it seems like a near-perfect season. But the side wasn't without its flaws. In fact, there were a few gruelling concerns that Kovac needs to address this summer if they were to challenge for the Meisterschale again.
Here are some key talking points from Dortmund's 2025-26 Bundesliga season:
Dortmund are really poor at defending their lead
It's a strange paradox that the side which recorded the lowest number of goals conceded were also the side which lost among the highest points from a winning position. Therein lies Dortmund's biggest shortcoming.
On six different occasions, the BVB were leading in a tie only to then end up dropping points; five of them were draws and just one led to a defeat: vs Bayern Munich in February. Nonetheless, this trait ultimately proved detrimental to their chances.
Big-game pedigree was sorely lacking
Another big issue with the present Dortmund side is their poor record against the quality oppositions: the BVB managed just two wins against the league's top six sides in 10 games, collecting a meager 12 points from a possible 30.
You can't perform averagely against the big teams and then expect yourself to win the title. Bayern smashed almost every opposition on their way, even doing the league double over Dortmund once again. Kovac's side always seemed to run into a mental roadblock against the top competitors, something that must change next season.
Defensive lapses in closing stages
How many times did we see Dortmund concede a goal or two in the dying embers of a match? St. Pauli. Hamburger. Stuttgart. Frankfurt. Bayern. Hoffenheim. Monchengladbach. That's seven games, enough to wreck a title challenge.
More importantly, it shows the side's inability to close a game out. Such lapses in concentration during key moments can be detrimental to their chances of winning a game, hence impacting their title charge on the long run.
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