Bundesliga: Marco Rose returns to Dortmund as RB coach

As an RB coach, Marco Rose is returning to his old place of work in Dortmund for the first time. SPORT1 shows how the rose bang at BVB went in the summer – and how the coach will be received in the evening.

No, it’s definitely not a normal game for Marco Rose.

In the evening, the 46-year-old coach returns to the site for the first timewhere he was released exactly 287 days ago: To Dortmund!

“I’m looking forward to returning and to a lot of people there,” says Rose, who is now a successful coach at RB Leipzig. “I’m an open person and I’ve made a lot of friends there. I don’t feel like I was disassembled there. But everyone has to judge that for themselves.”

After just one year, BVB surprisingly parted ways with Rose on May 20, 2022 – and that, although they were runners-up and qualified for the Champions League with a twelve-point lead in fifth place.

“Marco Rose is a great coach, but we decided together to go our separate ways because a few things stood in the way and somehow he never really made it,” said BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke back in November. “Something was there that wasn’t quite right. We don’t know for sure ourselves.”

Rose and Dortmund – that never really fit together!

The coach, who was brought from Gladbach in the summer of 2021 for a fee of around five million euros, looked like a foreign body. The native of Leipzig never really fit into the pot with his odd nature, say some, but he never got a fair chance, say others.

The truth, as so often, lies in the middle.

The lack of consistency – BVB’s performance last season was too unstable – the eternally flaming mentality debate and above all the embarrassing cup failures against St. Pauli in the DFB Cup (1: 2) and against Glasgow Rangers in the Europa League (2:2/2:4).

All of this was not conducive to the relationship between the emotional coach (points average of 1.85 in 46 games) and the BVB decision-makers.

Added to this was the situation with predecessor and DFB Cup winner Edin Terzic, who as technical director hovered over Rose like a shadow coach.

The separation came as a surprise to everyone!

Rückblick: After the last game of the season against Hertha (May 14/2:1) Rose celebrated the end of the year together with the BVB bosses and the players. First with manager Michael Zorc (retired from football), then with long-time BVB physio Thomas Zetzmann (returned to Berlin).

There were also many players, including captain Marco Reus and Julian Brandt, who had a good relationship with Rose. The day after, Rose sent his stars on vacation – saying they’d like to see each other again in a few weeks and attack together.

Four days later, on May 19, there was a big season analysis discussion with Rose, Watzke, Zorc, Sebastian Kehl and chief advisor Matthias Sammer. In the evening there was a bang on this summit!

Above all, Watzke consultant Sammer is said to have questioned Rose’s work and been very critical. Rose then asked the question of trust: “Do you still believe in me?” The lack of backing from the elephant group ultimately led to the separation. Kehl is said to have stayed with Rose as the only decision-maker.

The day after (May 20) came the press release, which Reus and Co. received with great astonishment while on vacation. “We tried to push things, which I think we succeeded in doing,” says Rose. “In the end, a few things worked out so that I’m no longer a coach, but here in Leipzig.”

He has been on the command bridge there since the beginning of September, and Rose started his new chapter in Leipzig with a smashing home win (3-0) against BVB.

Now the emotional coach is returning to Dortmund for the first time.

Unlike a year and a half ago, when he returned to Gladbach for the first time as the new BVB coach and had to hold the TV interviews before kick-off due to hate tirades, abuse and insults in the interior, today it is much quieter.

Although isolated whistles against Rose are expected, the tenor of many supporters is that the football teacher is not guilty of anything.

Both sides no longer mourn the separation anyway. Now there are two ambitious coaches who could hardly be a better fit for their clubs.

Terzic as a boy from Dortmund Rose as a Leipziger.