Actually, Borussia Dortmund had plenty of reason to celebrate at the weekend after the derby victory over FC Schalke 04. If it wasn’t for Marco Reus’ serious injury. The failure of the offensive player could be critical for BVB in the coming weeks.
It was the 28th minute of the long-awaited Revierderby when the fans in Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park held their breath – at least those who support Borussia Dortmund.
In a duel with opponent Florian Flick, Marco Reus extremely unhappily twisted his right ankle. The BVB captain then rolled on the lawn in pain. The 33-year-old could not leave the field on his own.
The concern of the teammates after the game was great, “mainly because the ankle didn’t look so good at first glance,” noted vice-captain Mats Hummels on the “Sky” microphone. “We’re all keeping our fingers crossed for him and hope it’s not as bad as it first seemed.”
And Youssoufa Moukoko’s joy at his winning goal quickly gave way to sympathy for his colleague. “I hope and pray it’s not that bad. He’s our captain. When he’s on the pitch you feel better,” said the 17-year-old.
That’s how long Marco Reus is missing from BVB
Sports director Sebastian Kehl gave the all-clear on Sunday in the “double pass” on “Sport1” and made it clear that the horror scenarios had not come true.
Reus will be absent for “three to four weeks”. So the concerns about him and BVB are justified.
Because in the jam-packed schedule up to the Winter World Cup in Qatar, four weeks can feel like an eternity.
Reus will probably miss the cracker against FC Bayern as well as the two trend-setting Champions League duels with FC Sevilla.
And Moukoko’s feeling that BVB is a better team with Reus also agrees with the facts.
Seven goals in ten games for BVB
So far this season, the international has not only been the captain and leader, but also a difference player.
With his three goals this season in the Bundesliga, he marked the important 1-0 for BVB. In the home games against Bayer Leverkusen and TSG Hoffenheim, his goals were the only ones of the game.
With seven goals in ten games across all competitions, Reus is also by far the most effective offensive player that coach Edin Terzic currently has in his squad.
In other words: Reus in the condition of the last few weeks was simply a point guarantee for Borussia.
Other BVB stars have to deliver now
But now Terzic has to find an alternative for him – a thankless task for the head coach, who described the failure of his fixed point in the offensive as “very disappointing and very bitter”.
The good news for Terzic: Just a few weeks ago, BVB simply could not have compensated for a Reus failure. This is different now.
Because recently, with Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi, two players came back from injury breaks who could contribute the missing goals.
In addition to Julian Brandt, who, like Reus, had a strong start to the season, Giovanni Reyna can also be considered as a direct representative in the Reus position.
The American appears to be fully fit again and came on for Reus in the derby. He was immediately involved in making it 1-0.
Jonas Hofmann