In the round of 16 Champions League Borussia Dortmund meets Eindhoven and thus also his former coach Peter Bosz. Under him the care PSV is currently causing a sensation in the Netherlands with offensive, full-throttle football.
Borussia Dortmund fans probably associate Peter Bosz with one game in particular. In November 2017, under the Dutch coach, BVB was 4-0 up at half-time in the Bundesliga against FC Schalke 04 and only played 4-4 in the end. A short time later, Bosz was released from Dortmund, so he is not remembered very well there.
When Dortmund took part in the draw for the round of 16 in December last year Champions League the PSV When Eindhoven caught us as opponents, there was great relief. Of course there was respect, BVB said, but secretly they already thought it was a feasible outcome. After all, the German Bundesliga is generally considered to be stronger than the Dutch one Eredivisie. And the coach of the club from North Brabant is – you guessed it – Peter Bosz.
Not a sure-fire success for Dortmunders
On Tuesday (from 9 p.m. in the audio live stream at sportschau.de) we head to Eindhoven for the first leg. But the round of 16 will definitely not be a sure-fire success for the Black and Yellows. That’s because – exactly – Peter Bosz. The 60-year-old has been training for PSV since last summer. And in his first year, the successor to former world-class striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is heading straight for his first championship title in six years.
Undefeated in the Eredivisie
Eindhoven is unbeaten in the Eredivisie and has won 20 of the 22 games this season. Goal difference – 70:10. The cushion on second place is ten points Feyenoord Rotterdam. In the premier class, the team asserted itself in a group with FC arsenalthe FC Seville and RC Lens and finished second behind the with only one defeat in London “Gunners”.
With 17 wins in a row, PSV also equaled its own record from the 1987/88 season. At that time, greats like Ronald Koeman, Sören Lerby and Wim Kieft were still on the pitch. Hans van Breukelen was guarding the goal and coaching legend Guus Hiddink was on the sidelines. However, there was a painful defeat in the round of 16 of the Dutch Club Cup, where PSV lost 1-0 to Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
Eindhoven with a broad chest
It’s no surprise that the Dutch welcome Borussia from Dortmund with a big heart. BVB is in the “group of death” with Paris in the Champions League Saint GermainAC Milan and Newcastle United enforced, but lags behind the music in the league with sometimes manageable performances.
Eindhoven under Bosz, on the other hand, is above all full-throttle offensive football with a high-quality defense, courage and willingness to take risks. The defense with the offensive full-backs Sergino Dest and Jordan Zeze is well-coordinated, Jerdy Schouten pulls the strings as a six-man, Joey Veerman is the control center in midfield. The wingers Johan Bakayoko and Noa Lang are lightning fast, and then there is the former Mönchengladbacher Luuk de Jong. He has already scored 27 goals in 34 competitive games this season.
27 competitive goals for PSV: Luuk de Jong
Bosz once failed in Dortmund
With his uncompromising, full-pressing approach, Bosz failed in Dortmund at the time. The Dutchman succeeded Thomas Tuchel in 2017, but had to leave after just 24 games. After a good start, there was a series of bankruptcies that reached its negative climax in the aforementioned Ruhrpott derby. A little later it was over for Bosz, who then worked at Bayer Leverkusen and Olympique Lyon had only moderate success.
Was BVB coach in the legendary 4:4 draw against FC Schalke 04: Peter Bosz
“It’s been a long time. I’m trying to just look at the duel”said Bosz before the first leg of the round of 16: “There aren’t many professionals from back then there anymore. There’s no point in looking back – what’s the point?” But there is already a little anticipation. “I’m most looking forward to the people who still work there, to Marco Reus, but especially to Julian Brandt – I know him from Leverkusen.”said Bosz.
Tillman: “We definitely want to move forward”
In any case, things now seem to be working out for Bosz in Eindhoven. In any case, opponents in the Netherlands can’t find any way to combat Bosz’s brilliant style. The duels with BVB in the round of 16 can therefore be seen as a kind of maturity test. “Dortmund will see what happens here”former Bayern player Malik Tillman confidently told “kicker”: “We definitely want to move forward.”