Borussia Dortmund captain Marcel Schmelzer told Sky he was "angry" after Mainz's late equaliser saw his side fail to move up to third in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Dortmund led Mainz through Marco Reus' third-minute strike on Sunday but they had to settle for a 1-1 draw after Danny Latza levelled on 82 minutes with the hosts' first effort on target.
Dortmund are now fourth, 11 points behind second-placed RB Leipzig and 14 behind leaders Bayern Munich.
"We could have moved up to third place," Schmelzer said. "I'm not disappointed, I'm angry. That's not what we aim for."
Over the past few weeks, pressure has mounted on Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel, although the club's hierarchy has publicly denied rumours of a rift with the former Mainz boss.
When asked whether the ongoing discussions at the Westfalenstadion played a role in Dortmund's mediocre performance, Schmelzer said: "We've got other problems. They are on the pitch."
Despite a flying start at Mainz, Dortmund ended up playing long balls out of defence and were unable to control their opponents despite having the majority of the possession.
"In the second half, we did not manage to keep the game in the opponent's half," Tuchel said. "In fact, it took place almost entirely in the air."
He said BVB are "not quite meeting expectations" currently and added: "We know that we are capable of getting those points back, even if we have a very difficult path ahead."
Dortmund host Leipzig next Saturday, when they will hope to close the gap on Ralph Hasenhuttl's side to eight points, and also to keep chasers like Cologne, Hoffenheim and Hertha Berlin.