Borussia Dortmund claims to be a particularly emotional club. “Real love” as the motto, close ties with the fans, that is what BVB has recognized as a core message to the outside world, especially since Jürgen Klopp’s time in Dortmund. The somewhat taciturn and analytical Lucien Favre didn’t fit in that well. Since 2015, since Klopp left BVB, coaches have also been measured by the Klopp factor they bring with them. Favre was arguably negative on this scale from one to ten. Edin Terzić, Favre’s successor and new head coach, should be someone for feeling again.
“We brought Edin back to us in 2018 as a proven expert, but also as a positive guy who has a good feel for dealing with the players,” said sports director Michael Zorc on Monday. Something else could be even more important: “He shows the emotionality that is needed at BVB.” Terzić has been a BVB fan since childhood, he is supposed to take his former fellow sufferers with him on the south stand.
In the afternoon Terzić was presented in Dortmund, on Tuesday the next game is already on at Werder Bremen. It was a quiet performance, almost reserved, but a video press conference is not a sideline either. Terzić wants to show offensive football, he would rather “score one more goal than the opponent” than concede one less. He thanked Favre for the cooperation and emphasized his own responsibility for the 1: 5 home defeat against Stuttgart. He wanted to remind his team “of the many good things” that BVB had shown up to the bankruptcy against FC Bayern at the beginning of November.
Zorc has known Terzić for ten years
In Dortmund, many insiders had expected that reserve coach Enrico Maaßen would be promoted in the event of Favre’s dismissal. The former coach of Drochtersen and Rödinghausen is highly regarded in BVB management, is considered a prudent and consistent promoter of talent and is said to have turned down better offers in the summer.
But Terzić also has important advocates in the club. Sports director Michael Zorc has known Terzić for ten years when Hannes Wolf brought him to the club. Wolf – later coach of the traditional clubs HSV and VfB Stuttgart – was not even 30 years old himself at the time, mixed up the Dortmund youth department and campaigned for his fellow students. Terzić, whose ambitions as a player in the regional league ended, became assistant coach in the youth, but as a scout he also had contact with the professional department early on and convinced Zorc with his open, emotional, approachable and enthusiastic manner.
Terzić makes no secret of his enthusiasm for Borussia Dortmund. In such cases, the obligatory bed linen is often written about in which the players or coaches should have slept as children. This detail is not known to Terzić, but he got a new jersey year after year, had a season ticket and calls BVB »my club«. “I’m a product from Borussia Dortmund,” said Terzić at the press conference.
International experience in Istanbul and London
The Dortmund boy Terzić decided in 2013 to leave his club again. Slaven Bilić had made him the offer to join Besiktas as assistant coach. This turned into four years at the side of the former Croatian national player and national coach. After two years in Istanbul, they moved to West Ham United together. Besiktas and West Ham, two clubs with a similarly strong bond with the fans as is the case in Dortmund. Zorc only let Terzić go on the premise that they would work together again at some point.
That time came when BVB was looking for a new coach in summer 2018 after a lost year under Peter Bosz and Peter Stöger and signed Favre. The Swiss brought an assistant coach with Manfred Stefes, Terzić should stand in the team for the club values. So there is no conflict. Terzić was a loyal assistant coach who learned a lot from Favre and his calm and analytical nature. Nothing is known about conflicts in the coaching team. However, he would have arranged some things differently than his former boss and can therefore now appear in front of the players unused.
When asked what the decisive difference in the conversations with the professionals was, Terzić said: “There is no more subjunctive, no would, would, could.” He can now make the decisions. Terzić will initially work as head coach until the end of the season. How it will then continue is still unclear. The »Bild« newspaper reports on Gladbach’s Marco Rose as the desired solution for the coming season.
That doesn’t mean that Terzić has no chance in the race for a long-term contract. If he takes the BVB environment with him (which is not so easy without a spectator in the stadium), shows passion and thanks to his tactical expertise lead the club back into the Champions League, he could become a permanent solution.