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Comment on the sporting situation at Borussia Dortmund: The light in the lighthouse is off

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Comment on the sporting situation at Borussia Dortmund: The light in the lighthouse is off

The spirit of optimism at the start of the season has given way to disillusionment at Borussia Dortmund. BVB does not radiate anything under Edin Terzic and is on the verge of losing its longstanding status in German football. A comment from SPOX-Editor Jochen Tittmar.

Promising-sounding transfers, a figure I can identify with as the new coach, and the spirit of optimism that goes with it – after the promising summer, six defeats in 15 Bundesliga games at Borussia Dortmund have long been a sign of disillusionment. Instead of playing football emotionally and energetically in line with the club’s core brand, the BVB team under Edin Terzic doesn’t exude anything. So you are on the verge of losing your longstanding status in German football.

You had already imagined it yourself when Hans-Joachim Watzke described his club years ago as the “second beacon of German football”. With a view to the sporting and financial achievements as well as the radiance, the Dortmund managing director was certainly not wrong. But the light in the lighthouse has not grown stronger over the years. On the contrary: it rather faded under the constant problems and insufficiently remedied deficiencies.

BVB is now in sixth place over the winter and can count themselves lucky to have seven points on the credit side that are anything but sovereign against Freiburg, Bayern and Frankfurt. In the previous season, which, like the current season and some before, was characterized by sporting waves, Borussia had six points more on the account. And without Gregor Kobel’s Sahnetag in Hanover, they would have been eliminated in the second round of the DFB Cup, as was the case in 2021/22.

Since Watzke announced the lighthouse goal at the zenith of the Jürgen Klopp era and later declared it achieved, the trend has been noticeably downwards, despite three second places in the past five years – in which the coach was changed five times. When selecting coaches, there was a divergence between the playing styles, which meant regular restarts and squad changes, and brought with it an increasing loss of identification on the part of the supporters.

BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke demands time

This is currently continuing under the new sporting leadership around Terzic and sporting director Sebastian Kehl. The redesign was extensive and also affected numerous levels off the square. This undoubtedly takes time, which Watzke also publicly demanded on Friday: “We have a new coach and a new sports director. So we have a completely new sporting director, who we also have to trust. You can’t say in August, ‘You have ours Trust’ and then in November, after a few setbacks, say ‘that’s not really great either’. We have to develop and we have to give Edin time.”

However, the dog is buried precisely in this question of time: the complex renewal process of BVB brings both opportunities and risks with it. On the one hand, the aim remains to qualify for the Champions League and to meet the high expectations on international terrain (which has worked so far).

On the other hand, the setbacks of recent years could also have shown that really profound upheavals within the club and the team may only have a chance of success if you scale down your own standards a bit. However, this would require a well-coordinated strategy and external communication to encourage patience – but BVB has not recently covered itself in glory in the relationship.

BVB trainer Edin Terzic will be in focus

Apart from that, the current Dortmund team is simply not good enough to consistently fill the role of FC Bayern’s hunters. It still lacks homogeneity, leadership and the necessary quality. She is at best at the beginning of a development in her composition and it will take further transfer periods to inoculate her with a better attitude and greater strength.

Although he continues to enjoy the backing of the club, Terzic will also be a huge focus in the future. “His” BVB played harmlessly and without esprit in most of the games. A clear game idea has not yet been identified. In addition, there is the regularly erratic defensive despite prominent reinforcements.

The fact that Borussia Dortmund is currently only average can now be seen from the table for 72 days. “We’re not starting at zero, we’re starting at minus,” said Terzic with regard to 2023. It will take a lot of effort not only to change this situation.

BVB: Borussia Dortmund under coach Edin Terzic in the 2022/23 season

contest games S u N Gates differential Points
Bundesliga 15 8th 1 6 25:21 4 25
DFB Cup 2 2 5-0 5
Champions League 6 2 3 1 10:5 5 9

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