Like Bavaria’s Badstuber once
BVB star inspires in a new role
Updated on March 31, 2025 – 11:31 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Usually he is responsible for the tore jack. Now Nico Schlotterbeck also shines as a promenler. A new nickname for the international was directly circulating.
Borussia Dortmund scored very important three points in the race for a European Cupplatz in the 3-1 win against FSV Mainz 05. Two German internationals were crucial for this. On the one hand, Maximilian Beier, the two goals. And on the other hand, Nico Schlotterbeck. He prepared two hits – in a completely unusual role as a corner specialist.
Karim Adeyemi joked after the game that he was not responsible for word games and that Schlotterbeck did not yet get a new nickname à la “Schlotter-Eck”, as he made the round in some media. But: “He shot good corners in training, then even better in the game.”
First Captain Emre Can met with head, later striker Beier was on hand – both times after sharply crashed balls of the international. Schlotterbeck, previously mostly positioned as a target player in the penalty area, was first used in his 149th Bundesliga game as a standard shooter.
And that should stay in the coming games, as coach Niko Kovač announced after the game at the streaming service DAZN: “We were looking for a left -wing shooter. Nico has a really great left foot. It is not common to have a central defender who beats the corners and free kicks. You have seen why we chose it. Not only for today, but also in the future.”
At least for the corner balls from the right side, which Schlotterbeck should continue to step with its strong left foot. From the left side, Pascal was responsible against Mainz with the right for the corners.
Kovač added: “Many, I think, were surprised and grated their eyes. But the result is right for us – especially him.”
The idea arose during the training week, as Schlotterbeck revealed: “Daniel (Svensson, editor’s note) did the corners in training. We only felt a bit struck. We only had two left feet with Karim (Adeyemi, D. Red.) And because we wanted to go to the goal. Then the coach said that with Bayern with Holger Badstuber it was a left -wing defender gave that the corners did.
The team also apparently campaigned for Schlotterbeck, as defense colleague Waldemar Anton explained: “We appealed a bit to ensure that Schlotti hits the ball because he has a good foot and scores with a lot of train to the goal.”
However, there was not only advocates, as the coach revealed with a smile: “There were players who said that Schlotti is not a bathroom. I said that you will already see that.” Kovač should be right.
Bitters, however, for BVB that Schlotterbeck received his fifth yellow card shortly before the end and was therefore missing in the next game in Freiburg. So Kovač needs a temporary alternative to the corners that worked so well.