Sadness before Barça highlight
BVB at Christmas time: every year again
12/11/2024 – 1:01 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
Eliminated in the cup long ago, far behind in the Bundesliga. Shortly before Christmas, the situation of the ambitious Dortmunders is once again modest. It’s difficult to look forward to a big European Cup night.
BVB coach Nuri Şahin was seen and heard more annoyed than ever in his young coaching career after last Saturday’s top Bundesliga game at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Shaking his head and exasperated, the 36-year-old spoke into the Sky microphone after the 1-1 draw on the Lower Rhine: “It hurts extremely today, I’m extremely disappointed and angry, but we have to keep going. Today is almost worse for me than the other away defeats that we had.”
Şahin spoke of pure frustration that once again there had been no breakthrough in a foreign country. And that the draw in tenth place in the table further worsened the black and yellow’s devastating away record.
Even in the sixth league game this season it wasn’t enough to get three points. BVB picked up a measly two out of 18 possible points while traveling. Only winless bottom team Bochum (0 points) is even more harmless away from home. Numbers of a relegation candidate.
It’s just good for BVB that there are still home games. With six wins and one draw you are at the top of the league. However, this raises the question of how this striking discrepancy can be explained. The injury misery that plagued BVB especially in October and November can only be partially attributed as the cause, after all they still managed to win the games in front of their own audience during this time.
Nevertheless, it also puts a damper on the mood. Mainly because it doesn’t want to end. Niklas Süle was injured again in Gladbach and was out for months. In addition to him, Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt and Waldemar Anton are already missing. There is still a question mark behind Maximilian Beier’s ability to play in the coming games.
In any case, it’s a good thing for Nuri Şahin’s nerves that there’s a game at Signal Iduna Park this Wednesday. Plus in the Champions League, which has developed into a kind of favorite competition for last year’s finalists. However, it could prove to be a problem that the opponent is called FC Barcelona. He comes to Signal-Iduna-Park with coach Hansi Flick, ex-BVB striker Robert Lewandowski and European Championship discovery Lamine Yamal (9 p.m. in the t-online live ticker). The Spanish league leaders are a real threat to the black and yellow home team.
Even if Şahin is confident with the knowledge of the fan support in the stadium, which has long been sold out with 81,365 spectators: “There will be no favorites tomorrow,” he said at the PK on Tuesday. “We are playing at a level. We are capable of winning the game. We will see a game tomorrow in which our form on the day will play a big role.”
At least when it comes to the table, the BVB coach is right when he certifies that his team is at the level of the Catalans. Both teams are tied on points with twelve points in third place (Barcelona) and fourth place in the 36-team league.
If the game had taken place in Barcelona, where Bayern have already lost 4-1 this season, his choice of words would probably have been more defensive.
Both can take a big step closer to early entry into the knockout phase with a win three game days before the end of the newly created league phase. Which would be a remarkable success, especially for the Westphalians, and one that was urgently needed.