Edin Terzić should remain coach of Borussia Dortmund despite ongoing criticism.Image: AP / Martin Meissner
Interview
Only 27 points from 16 games, fifth place in the Bundesliga and out of the DFB Cup. Only overwintering in the Champions League prevents the first half of the season at BVB from being classified as a complete disaster.
Given the disappointing first half of the season, the focus of criticism is coach Edin Terzić. Shortly before Christmas, the club bosses decided against a separation and the coach should handle the turnaround.
In conversation with Watson expressed Tactics expert Benny Grund his doubts and explains BVB’s current problems.
Watson: Benny, a tough question: Has BVB regressed under Terzić?
Benny Grund: Hard question, hard answer: yes. In my opinion it is a mistake to continue on the path with Terzić. Tactical is just one aspect. I think that at some point you will lose the team because there is no further development.
BVB seems more harmless than it has for a long time. Why is the offensive game stalling?
Terzić gives them a lot of freedom in the final third. If they break up closed spaces using their half-space tens – Reus, Brandt – it works well. But there is no clear plan to get there.
So the building game is currently the biggest construction site?
It’s relatively easy to pull BVB’s teeth this season by running high. BVB lacks consistency with the ball.
In what way?
An example of what you could give the central defenders: Every time the opponent doesn’t run up to us, we open through the center. But they almost always play from the center to a full-back and then directly long. This means they are quickly isolated and the opponent cannot be lured out of position. For me this is a question of consistency and the idea.
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It’s not just a problem when working, but also against the ball. Why does Gregor Kobel have to protect BVB from worse things so often?
By playing with the ball you prepare your defensive positioning a bit. They have relatively wide gaps between chains. If they defend deeper, the opponent will catch you in a mess every time you counter.
Is that the only problem against the ball?
They often defended in a 4-1-4-1. That wasn’t real attacking pressing, but it wasn’t really midfield pressing either. Emre Can acts alone in front of the defense, but cannot completely defend the horizontal line. But their biggest problem is that they only react defensively to the opponent.
“It’s always about principles and I don’t really see anything there. You get a different BVB every week. That makes it difficult for the fans.”
In the past, BVB has always been distinguished by its active game, not such passivity.
Unlike under Jürgen Klopp, they no longer have a clear pressing trigger. In the past, they always got lost when the ball went from the center back to the full-back. Now: Let’s see what the opponent does.
No clear pressing, no clear offensive processes: what kind of football does Terzić actually represent?
The first step is to look at what the opponent is doing and how I can adapt. But it’s always about principles and I don’t really see anything there. You get a different BVB every week. That makes it difficult for the fans because you don’t know how it works.
Fan favorite, but still criticized: Edin Terzić.Image: IMAGO images / Jan Huebner
BVB is still sticking with Terzić. Which three aspects does he have to specifically address so that the bosses don’t change their minds in the near future?
Playing with the ball, opening up much more through the sixes and getting into the shift. The overall aim is to create an identity with and against the ball. The focus must be on playing with the ball. You also need defensive protection, which is best prepared when you have the ball. And we also urgently need to improve our personnel.
Where is the need greatest?
In both full-back positions and at number six.
Quite a lot for a winter transfer phase. How do you rate the composition of the current squad?
The only one-on-one players are Bynoe-Gittens and Duranville, who never plays. There is a lack of good quality full-backs, there is a lack of a quality six. Normally you would have to play a three-man defense with the squad, but you don’t have a good substitute. Wing defenders are missing. Terzić did not adapt the squad to be competitive.
Did Jude Bellingham and Raphaël Guerreiro cover up team tactical deficits in the preseason?
In any case. At Bellingham we now know that he is one of the three best players in the world. Guerreiro gave an incredible amount offensively. He had twelve assists last season, and all full-backs together currently have two assists. This is too little. Pressing Bensebaini into the same role doesn’t work. Karim Adeyemi also benefited from a gap-getter like Guerreiro.
Moved from BVB to FC Bayern: Raphaël Guerreiro.Image: AP / Matthias Schrader
Isn’t more than fifth place in the Bundesliga possible with this squad?
I do believe that things can be better. They are a sensible team, especially in the final third. But I think the team needs a coach who can develop them. Take a look at Donyell Malen. He’s a good kicker, but he sometimes looks wild because he doesn’t know how to behave on the pitch. Or Adeyemi, who has already played what feels like 40 roles this season.
With a rumored transfer budget of seven million euros, no big jumps are possible in winter. Which style of play suits the current squad?
I do believe that you can define yourself by possession of the ball. Above all, you don’t always have to be so dependent on your opponent. You can play offensively and courageously with the squad. Build up variably from a chain of three or four. In order to impose your game on the opponent at the end. It can’t be the case that you always focus on your opponent. In the end, BVB is still playing.
“If they’re not completely stupid, they’ll go all in with Fabian Hürzeler.”
You repeatedly describe passivity in the BVB game. Such an approach requires adapting to what is happening during the game. How do you rate Terzić’s in-game coaching?
Non-existent would be unfair. There were a few games where they did it properly. In the 4-2 win against Gladbach, they switched to a three-man chain and then turned the game around. But you don’t actually want to have to change anything in every game. In the best case scenario, you just have to adjust nuances. Throwing everything overboard speaks for a bad match plan.
If things don’t look up in the next few months: which coach would be suitable as Terzić’s successor in Dortmund?
If they’re not completely stupid, they’ll go all in on Fabian Hürzeler. But I also find it exciting what’s happening with Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. Matthias Sammer’s word carries a lot of weight at BVB. He worked with ten Hag at Bayern. I could also have imagined Steffen Baumgart as a temporary solution for the second half of the season.
2023-12-28 07:08:00
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