Bundesliga
Hope for the “kickstart”: BVB and Terzic take a breather
The BVB players celebrate the victory at Union Berlin. photo
© Andreas Gora/dpa
At Union, BVB is defying great pressure after turbulent weeks. The hope for a turnaround is there. But it can only be a beginning.
“He also really had difficulty finding his way into the game in the first 30 minutes,” said Terzic about the winger after the 2-0 win at 1. FC Union Berlin. Then the coach had Adeyemi and Jadon Sancho swap sides. At the end of a precise attack, the 22-year-old scored the opening goal with a beautiful shot.
He would sink this ball “eleven times” in ten attempts, Adeyemi joked afterwards in the ARD interview. The national player has had difficult months with a lack of form and a long injury break. It was his first Bundesliga goal this season. “It’s hard to imagine when you know his qualities and potential. Nevertheless, we hope that we can use this as a kickstart and that he can get into such scenes even more often,” said his coach.
Was that the turning point for BVB?
A kickstart that the whole club desperately needs again. It remains to be seen whether the game in Köpenick will bring about a big turning point. The home defeat against Hoffenheim last weekend, the restless week and the once again big discussions about Terzic’s position: all of this left its mark on the team. “At the beginning you could still feel the uncertainty, especially from last weekend,” said goalkeeper Alexander Meyer.
The problems in building up the game that have plagued Dortmund all season were also evident on Saturday. “We had big problems in the first thirty minutes, lost a lot of balls and made it too easy for the Union team to get the ball and counterattack themselves,” said Terzic.
The 41-year-old said his team sought their way through the center too early. The result was careless ball losses in the build-up game. The match plan was different, the coach noted. Against teams with greater offensive quality than Union, these mistakes could have led to a significant deficit. “It is then my job as head coach, our job as a coaching team, to move forward and radiate calm,” said Terzic.
Dortmund used a period of pressure before the break to take the lead, also because they cleverly freed themselves from Berlin’s pressing. “That was exactly what we wanted. We wanted to play from line to line, from full-back to full-back, to open up the center for us,” said Terzic.
On the plus side, BVB can record the reaction to the difficult start. “We knew that this was going to be a real fight. Then we accepted it,” said Meyer. Defensively, Dortmund were stable with the central defense of Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck.
BVB minimum goal: Champions League
Not many teams have managed to take points from the An der Alten Försterei stadium in recent months. But it is clear to the team and Terzic that the appearance in Berlin can only be the starting point. “We know we still have a long way to go,” said the coach.
For Dortmund, it’s first against Werder Bremen and then against Eindhoven for a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The top teams from Munich, Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Leipzig are still waiting in the league. “Of course we still play against the top teams. But we also have to aim to make it successful,” said Meyer.
The Saxons from Leipzig kept Dortmund behind them with their victory. There is no alternative for BVB to fourth place, which qualifies for the minimum goal of the Champions League. “We left some things behind, especially in the last two games in the Bundesliga. We have to get them back somewhere else,” said Terzic.