Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that his side needed the winter break to come when it did as they look to get their season back on track.
Dortmund go into the break having slipped down to fourth in the Bundesliga table thanks to a poor run of just one win in six games, including three consecutive home defeats for the first time in 13 years.
However, despite potentially resuming the season 15 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich, Klopp is optimistic that his side can return to their best next year.
"We can use the winter break and the rest very well. Right now none of my players would want to play another three or four games. The final third of this half of the season has been particularly tough for us," the Bundesliga's official website quotes Klopp as saying.
"This has been a terrible end to the year, but it could precede a fantastic start to 2014."
Dortmund's first game back after the break will take place on January 25 against Augsburg.
Barney Corkhill
