BVB coach Terzic: “We keep messing it up”

Borussia Dortmund missed a great opportunity in the title race against Bayern at VfB Stuttgart – coach Terzic seemed close to despair.

At the press conference, Dortmund coach Edin Terzic still had anger and horror written all over his face. “This is the space where I want to protect my team and us as a group. But it’s hard for me because it’s just so unnecessary, so stupid.”said Terzic. “When you see what we have invested since July 1st – and then we just give it away.”

With one player more on the pitch, Borussia Dortmund had a 2-0 lead at relegation contenders VfB Stuttgart and managed to concede 2-2 after conceding two goals in the 78th and 84th minutes. When Gio Reyna made it 3-2 for BVB in the second minute of added time, at least the result seemed saved – but Stuttgart managed to make it 3-3 in the seventh minute of added time.

Bayern are weaker than they have been for a long time

Bayern have dominated the Bundesliga for ten years and have won the championship trophy ten times in a row without much resistance from the other clubs. The financial situation in German football suggests that little will change in the next ten years. For Borussia Dortmund, number two in Germany, there are only a few exceptions and few chances to break through the Bavarian all-time championship.

The 2022/23 season is such an opportunity. Bayern are in a state of upheaval in some places and have to deal with injuries, weaknesses in leadership, lack of discipline and many sporting mistakes. The result: Bayern have 59 points after 28 match days – fewer than in any other of their ten most recent championship seasons. For Dortmund, the opportunity is actually better than it has been for a long time.

The big chance for the title – does Dortmund leave it?

While the Bavarians fight in the dressing room, injure themselves while skiing, tear apart over interviews or change coaches expensively, BVB does not consistently exploit these weaknesses that occur once a decade. With Bayern 1-1 against Hoffenheim, Dortmund had the opportunity to draw level on points – and threw this chance at table 16. away. BVB also dropped points in the derby against relegation candidate Schalke.

Terzic spoke of that in the sports show “hard work that has gone into the past few months to get into this position” and criticized “that we keep screwing it up and giving it out of hand. I have to restrain myself a bit so that I don’t say what I’m feeling at the moment”. Even the 2: 3 against Bremen after a 2: 0 lead from the first half of the season is with the game in Stuttgart “topped”, as Terzic said. With a view to the title race, he realized that Bayern are not the permanent German champions just because of their own strength. “There are reasons why there has been a German champion in the last ten years.” There is now another chance to attack above. “But if we’re so careless with it, then of course not.”