Jurgen Klopp remains upbeat, despite the pall that descended over Borussia Dortmund after their Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich.
After winning the Bundesliga twice in a row, Klopp and his cavaliers put all their efforts into winning the Champions League, and came agonisingly close, falling to their German rivals deep into the final at Wembley.
Dealing with the defeat has not been the cause the doom and gloom in Dortmund.
Rather, it is the defection of Mario Gotze to Bayern, and the likelihood that ace striker Robert Lewandowski will follow him to the Allianz Arena, that has some Dortmund fans quaking in their boots.
There are also fears that Gotze and Lewandowski’s departures could signal a mass exodus from the Westfalenstadion, with players like Neven Subotic and Matts Hummels also reportedly attracting come-hither glances from across Europe.
Dortmund have become accustomed to losing top players each season however, and Klopp- who has resisted the advances of suitors himself- is adamant that the club are not in an inexorable downward spiral.
He says that even if more Dortmund stars leave, he is confident that their strength in depth will stand them in good stead.
And that while there will certainly be challenges ahead, Dortmund’s spell at the summit of German football, and their presence in the highest reaches of Europe, is far from over.
"I've read that we are facing the most difficult season," Klopp told Bild.
"There will of course be a few changes - one or the other will leave us. But upheaval is the wrong word, it's just a change, and we intend to use it to our advantage. I'm pretty positive.
"We want to qualify for the Champions League again. It will not be easy. Leverkusen and Schalke want to take the next step."
"I do not want to talk about the number [of new players Dortmund will bring in], but we're working on it," Klopp added.
"I can promise that in the end everything will be fine. Either I'm with Michael Zorc (director of sport) directly together. Over the next few days and weeks it will happen."
