Sinsheim (dpa) – This unusual football break will also do the insatiable Erling Haaland good. The top striker from Borussia Dortmund rushes from record to record in the Bundesliga, but also revealed physical problems in the happy 3-2 win at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
First it pulled in the knee, then the adductors pinched: If the internationally highly courted 21-year-old voluntarily leaves the lawn after a good hour and disappears directly into the dressing room, that means something with Haaland’s huge ambition. And Dortmund and Marco Rose are also enjoying the additional time that now follows the momentous end of the cup.
BVB happy about the break
“The break is actually not that inconvenient for us. Erling is ailing, Manu (Akanji). That means that we can treat a few boys, but actually have training time. It will be an intensive time that we will use,” said head coach Rose, who several times described Sinsheim’s goal spectacle as a “flattering victory”. In contrast to the 1: 2 at FC St. Pauli in the failed cup title defense, the result was right this time. BVB consolidated their second place in the Bundesliga and remain flawless in the Bundesliga year 2022.
Even if there is no Bundesliga play next week, permanent goal scorer Haaland will remain the top topic. How is the knee, how are the adductors? Is there a longer break ahead or can the Norwegian continue to work on his fantastic record of 16 goals in 14 league games against Bayer Leverkusen on February 6? At first there was no diagnosis.
“We have to investigate that. I really can’t say anything yet,” said Rose. 1-0 goal scorer Haaland celebrated a “tough fight to the end” on Twitter – possibly an indication that the early substitution was more of a precautionary measure. His 56th Bundesliga goal in total brought him two new records: he was the youngest professional and the player with the fewest appearances.
It will also continue to be about Haaland’s future, which is contractually scheduled at BVB until June 2024. In the summer, the budding superstar can change for 75 million euros. Most recently, Haaland said in an interview that Dortmund had begun to urge him to make a decision. Hans-Joachim Watzke put this into perspective. “We have clarified that clearly, there is no ultimatum to him. There is no rift between us at all,” said Watzke on Sky. The club boss announced: “At some point we will talk to each other.”
If there is to be another national title by the summer, only the Bundesliga remains after the disappointment in the cup. At least in terms of the results, the start of the year in the league was promising, but Dortmund continues to struggle with a lack of consistency. “Tell me how many teams deliver consistently on the track? There is one team and it has been champions consistently for many years,” said defender Manuel Akanji. “We have a lot of games where we play well and then we have games after that where we don’t play so well,” added the Swiss. FC Bayern has once again rushed ahead this season.
Reus: “A victory of effectiveness”
The 3: 2, which came about through goals from Haaland and captain Marco Reus as well as an own goal from Hoffenheim’s David Raum, was at least an important signal. “Of course it was a victory for effectiveness. We’re glad we won a difficult game here,” said Reus. Before the energy-sapping spring with the Bundesliga and Europa League, the break should also help BVB because many top performers do not have to go to the national team. Haaland, Akanji and Co. have time to stabilize themselves physically and continue the hunt for serial winners Bayern in February.