Terzic refers to tactics
Dortmund’s awe was the best compliment for Bayer Leverkusen. Before the Bundesliga table leaders started to soar, relegation candidates had already appeared more courageously in the BayArena than the runner-up BVB did. What Leverkusen leader Granit Xhaka assessed with mischievous irony. Dortmund coach Edin Terzic referred to a consciously defensive tactic.
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When asked about a phase with slight ball losses after the break, Bayer’s 15 million acquisition from Arsenal replied: “We just briefly gave the opponent some hope so that they think they can do a little more now. But then nothing happened. (…) When you see that Dortmund come to us and just defend and play long balls for 90 minutes, then we can be proud. This also shows what kind of quality we have. (…) Dortmund has the right to be at the forefront and if they come here and are only at the back, then that shows what respect they have for us.”
In fact: Even though BVB was the second team after FC Bayern to score points against Bayer in the 20th competitive game of the season, leading from the 9th to the 79th minute and therefore, according to coach Terzic, ” “was one of the closest” to a win against Leverkusen – the direct duel on Sunday clearly showed that the difference between the two teams is accurately reflected in the ten points gap in the table.
How defensively BVB acted also surprised Leverkusen. “I have never seen Dortmund play like that. “Everyone behind the ball,” said Bayer goalscorer Patrik Schick. And sports director Simon Rolfes explained: “In the past, games against Dortmund were often more open than today. But everyone chooses their own tactics.” However, Rolfes believed that the defensive bulwark, brilliantly organized by Mats Hummels like five days earlier in the 3-1 win at AC Milan, had not come about quite so voluntarily. “We expected them to be more defensive,” said Rolfes: “The fact that they were so defensive was certainly the result of our dominance and strength.”
BVB coach Terzic admitted: The pressure from Leverkusen and the early 0-1 by Julian Ryerson (5th) only had a limited influence on Maurer’s tactics, which were untypical for Dortmund. “In the last few weeks and months, many have thought about how best to play against Leverkusen. We have taken this approach,” he said.
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