For defensive veteran Mats Hummels, the World Cup season at Borussia Dortmund started with an unusual place on the substitutes’ bench.
Coach Edin Terzic explicitly praised the 33-year-old after BVB’s impressive 3-0 (3-0) in the DFB Cup at third-division football club TSV 1860 Munich.
“He came on in the second half and made an excellent game. He was there straight away, very present, very good in tackles, very clear in the passing game. That’s how we imagine it,” said Terzic.
A week before the start of the Bundesliga against Bayer Leverkusen, the BVB coach opted for a back four with newcomers Niklas Süle (Bayern Munich) and Nico Schlotterbeck (SC Freiburg) in the centre.
Hummels came on in the second half for national player Süle, who according to Terzic “felt something in the front thigh”: “And that’s just the luxury we have, that we no longer have to take any risks, but with Mats Hummels qualitatively without losses to someone else.”
The BVB coach emphasized the importance of top-class alternatives in the squad. “A good team is not only shown by the players who are on the pitch, but by how strong the bank is,” explained Terzic. For the long-time regular player and multiple national team player Hummels, after good preparation, it was an unusual feeling not to be the first choice at the start of the season.