Borussia Dortmund’s agent Matthias Sammer suffered in the Augsburg stadium.
The leaden runner-up is only dragging its way towards the redemptive end of the year in the Bundesliga. Dortmund have long since lost sight of their longed-for goal of the championship, with a double-digit point deficit to leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
“It all seems very difficult, very forced,” said national player Julian Brandt, describing the tormented mental state at BVB after the sobering 1-1 (1-1) draw at mediocre FC Augsburg on Saturday. “It’s hard granite that we’re biting on at the moment.”
For BVB it only works in the Champions League
The Dortmunders can only gain ease through a sense of success – they won this after just one win from the last seven Bundesliga games, but not in the German elite class. After being eliminated from the DFB Cup, the group winner will only be able to compete in the Champions League, where the draw for the round of 16 will take place on Monday.
“It’s no secret that we did quite well in the Champions League and are having a hard time in the Bundesliga. We don’t want to make excuses, we want to accept the whole thing,” said coach Edin Terzic three days after the power performance against Kylian Mbappé’s Paris Saint-Germain (1:1).
“We are disappointed, angry and frustrated”
Dortmund’s Bundesliga face is pale despite great chances in the final phase. “We are disappointed, angry and frustrated because we scored two points short,” said sports director Sebastian Kehl in front of journalists after the pale draw in Augsburg. “One should not lose sight of the minimum goal of the Champions League.”
That is the lowest common denominator by which Terzic is also measured. However, the wild rumors surrounding the club show how frosty the atmosphere is at BVB. TV expert Jan Aage Fjörtoft started speculation around Dortmund’s passionate Champions League game against Paris on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that Erik ten Hag, who was heavily criticized at Manchester United, could be the new coach in Dortmund.
Is something going on with the Man United coach?
Sounds constructed? The story is supposed to be made more plausible by the fact that Sammer, who watched the boring performance in the Augsburg stadium, and ten Hag know each other. The former national player started as sports director at FC Bayern in 2012, and the Dutchman joined Munich’s second team as a coach a year later.
How should he ignore such speculation when asked about it, Terzic wanted to know before kick-off on the TV channel Sky. “This is something I can’t stop. I can’t control what questions you ask, but I can control how I deal with it. I’m someone who likes to lead the way. I like to take responsibility and I also like to fight,” explained Terzic. What is important to him is what the team and his colleagues around him think about him. “And they make me feel good,” assured Terzic.
Coming to terms with the past against Mainz 05
Whether it stays that way will also depend on the finale of the year. In their home game on Tuesday (8:30 p.m.) against FSV Mainz 05, Dortmund will be confronted with the championship they lost on the last matchday of last season. BVB has already missed the six-point target for the last two Bundesliga games.
“It doesn’t help to complain,” said Terzic. “It’s just a matter of moving forward and accepting the challenge. We will rise to the challenge and hopefully reward our fans with a win in the last home game.”/mom/DP/he
AUGSBURG/DORTMUND (dpa-AFX)