BVB
“Real love” again: Terzic in the footsteps of Klopp
Currently enjoying the trust of the fans and the support of Hans-Joachim Watzke: Dortmund coach Edin Terzic. photo
© Tom Weller/dpa
BVB has worn out five coaches since the dream marriage to Jürgen Klopp. Now it seems that an equivalent replacement has finally been found. If the championship coup succeeds on Saturday, a new era could begin.
In Dortmund, the “real love” for home Borussia is back.
For the first time since the blissful times under the direction of Jürgen Klopp, Edin Terzic, a football teacher, succeeded in awakening great passion among the fans and in filling the leitmotif of the Revierclub with life again. The 40-year-old seems to be well on the way to stepping out of the long shadow of the former cult figure. With a win on Saturday (3:30 p.m. / Sky) against Mainz, he could inherit today’s Liverpool coach as BVB master maker.
The longing for a new liaison between the team and the grandstand was one of the reasons why Terzic succeeded Marco Rose last summer. Slowly but surely it dawned on him that this mission could be successfully completed in a few days: “I’m happy about that every day. That I can see many boys and girls with BVB jerseys running through the city again. And that flags are hanging in the front yards again .”
Celebrated with chants
Local color and closeness to the people have paved the way for Terzic to win the hearts of Dortmund fans. Unlike his prominent predecessors such as Thomas Tuchel, Lucien Favre or Rose, he is now celebrated with chants. Full of anticipation for magical moments, Terzic swore his pros to the title showdown on Saturday against Mainz after the potentially decisive 3-0 win in Augsburg.
“I’m sure the boys can buy anything. The next car, the next expensive holiday. The next house,” he commented in his own way, “but what they can’t buy is this moment, next week to come to the stadium”.
Such empathetic statements are particularly well received in a district city like Dortmund – and reveal how Terzic, who was born in nearby Sauerland, really ticks. Humble coaches like him are a blessing in a football dominated by commerce and described by many as increasingly soulless.
He is as well received by his pros as he is by the fans. “Anyone can talk to him at any time. He is very approachable, very empathetic,” enthused Alexander Meyer. The substitute keeper rated the coach’s strong identification with BVB as extraordinary: “I can see what the club means to him in his eyes and hear it in every dressing room speech. That’s very authentic.”
Watzke: “Hope he can shape an era”
The emotional closeness of the football teacher is particularly well received by Hans-Joachim Watzke. “Dortmund is a club that is also sensitive. And our millions of fans want someone to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the club. He does that. And he doesn’t do it artificially,” said the BVB managing director months ago in the “World”.
A success on Saturday should strengthen Watzke’s feeling of having found the right coach: “We hope that he can shape an era. Such a long tenure as a coach is what everyone longs for. Edin has a high credit limit. “
Terzic himself makes no secret of his great passion for black and yellow. As a former fan on the south stand, as a former scout and youth coach of the club and as interim head coach in the 2020/21 season with the final cup triumph over Leipzig, he thinks he has the “greatest job in the world”.
But this deep bond alone does not protect against possible setbacks. At a fan talk a few weeks ago in Lünen, he briefly pondered the question of how Dortmund fan Terzic would get along with Dortmund coach Terzic. “The fan thinks he’s really good,” he replied, smiling with his usual quick wit, but quickly became serious again: “But he also knows that the fan always wants to see results.”
