Edin Terzic spoke plainly after the end of the DFB Cup against RB Leipzig. The Borussia Dortmund coach also gave an update on Jude Bellingham’s situation.
“We’re getting in the face from all sides – rightly so,” said Terzic at the press conference before the Bundesliga game against Union Berlin on Saturday.
After the cup defeat at the Saxons this season, BVB is only about the championship, after the bitter defeat against FC Bayern (2: 4) the gap to the Munich team is currently two points.
“There were two weak performances from us. Leipzig in particular was disappointing. We looked at things that we urgently need to change in order to perform differently tomorrow,” Terzic explained and emphasized: “Unfortunately for us there is only one competition left in the May. We want to finish this season as successfully as possible.”
It was against Union “an extremely important game for us. After the last performances we have to show a completely different face,” said Terzic: “We have to put the ego aside, regardless of the name. We still have eight tasks and we want to Eight wins, that’s our job.”
Terzic will definitely have to do without Nico Schlotterbeck (hamstring) against the Irons. According to the BVB coach, whether top scorer Sebastien Haller will play is “a little in the balance”. The same applies to Thomas Meunier.
Karim Adeyemi’s comeback is in the offing. In Munich, the summer newcomer had been on the bench for more than 90 minutes, he was missing in the cup due to a red suspension. “Karim was in excellent form before his injury. As he has presented himself in the last few days and weeks, we are confident that he can quickly return to the form he had before his injury,” said Terzic.
BVB: Jude Bellingham before returning to the starting XI
In addition, Jude Bellingham could return to the starting XI. The 19-year-old was initially only on the bench against Leipzig after causing a stir in Munich with controversial body language and therefore receiving criticism from Emre Can, among others. After the Leipzig game, managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke had started a discussion about the leaders and, in addition to Can and captain Marco Reus, very likely included Bellingham in his statement.
“I had a one-on-one conversation with Jude immediately after the game in Munich on Sunday. We went through a few scenes that we liked and didn’t like. Then we looked for reasons why it was all like this,” explained Terzic. Bellingham then “signaled that he was not at 100 percent freshness”.
Terzic emphasized the Englishman’s will to win and commitment. “It looks a bit like I sent him on vacation. That wasn’t the case. (…) The clear goal is for him to be in full force again tomorrow and feel fresh. We’re in good spirits that he can start again tomorrow and play an important role.”
