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Borussia Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc fears the club are facing their "most difficult time in years" after a 2-1 defeat at Cologne consigned Jurgen Klopp's side to their fifth loss in seven Bundesliga games this season. Despite the returns of Ilkay Gundogan, Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Dortmund's starting XI, Kevin Vogt and Simon Zoller scored either side of Ciro Immobile's equaliser to leave BVB with three straight league defeats. With their hopes of a title challenge fading fast as they trail table-toppers Bayern Munich by 13 points, Zorc has called on the team's "leaders" to step up and guide Dortmund out of their disappointing run of results. "Basically we saw no difference to what has gone before," he told the club's official website. "I get the impression that we are a bit short all over the place. We lack composure up front and at the back we keep making presents of goals. So-called leaders are making huge mistakes. Up front we lack penetration. [It is] our most difficult time in years. "Only the players on the pitch can make things right. The coach prepares the team thoroughly and carefully. But that preparation must be applied. It isn't just now, that's the problem." Klopp -- who blasted his side's "pointless" tactics after the game -- was emphatic in his desire for change: "We need to cut out the mistakes: Not soon, not tomorrow, but now!" Gundogan -- making his first start for BVB in 14 months -- echoed Zorc's comments, stating: "We are determined to create as many chances as possible, but we just couldn't find a way through. "[Cologne's goals] were so unnecessary. We pretty much scored them ourselves. There are concentration issues, and we seem to lack that real maturity." Germany international Reus called on the players to stick together, saying: "With the ability we have, we ought to have taken hold of the game once we had equalised. "We need to fight our way from the bottom as a team. I have been through it before enough times, and it will not be easy. We need to keep working hard, and with that work I am sure that we shall soon be on the road to success again." BVB goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller admitted fault for Cologne's winner after misjudging a Yuya Osako cross to leave Zoller with an empty net, but wants an immediate response in Wednesday's Champions League trip to Galatasaray. "The second goal was down to me," he wrote on his Facebook page. "I was obstructed but I should have cleared the ball and as a result we lost the point. It's good that we play again on Wednesday so that we can put things right." Mats Hummels also took to Facebook to take a share of the blame after an unconvincing display, writing: "We are all, including me, experiencing a tough time. We need to do all we can and fight our way out of this situation, to return to being the team we want to be."
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