In October 2011, Mats Hummels made his debut in the Champions League. His coach at the time was Jürgen Klopp, his teammates were Neven Subotic, Sebastian Kehl, Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski. It was BVB against Arsenal FC, the game ended 1-1 and the big problem – which is a little reminiscent of Dortmund’s current worries – was the structure of the game.
There was a lack of a strong development player in the defensive midfield. “However, Hummels’ strong performance should compensate for this,” wrote the tactics portal “Spielverlager.de”. The then 22-year-old defender kept moving forward and played a lot of diagonal and vertical passes. Hummels has always been more than just a defender.
The now 35-year-old is likely to take on a similar role again on Wednesday – in his 85th Champions League game. The veteran was recently left out, but in the second leg of the round of 16 against PSV Eindhoven (9 p.m., DAZN and in the WELT live ticker), BVB coach Edin Terzic will not be able to get past Hummels. Nico Schlotterbeck is suspended. The curtain will at least rise again for Hummels, whose contract expires at the end of the season, in his declared favorite competition.
Hummels is once again in BVB’s starting eleven against Eindhoven
Quelle: Getty Images/Christian Kaspar-Bartke
The fact that Hummels was recently only number three central defender in the Bundesliga behind Schlotterbeck (24) and Niklas Süle (28) is extremely controversial in Dortmund. He was not in the starting line-up for nine games in a row – i.e. in all games in the 2024 calendar year. It is noticeable that Hummels, who was a fixture in the first half of the season, only plays a minor role. The only question is: why? Is he just unlucky that his opponents were able to use the two games at the beginning of the year, when Hummels was out due to a viral illness, to stabilize the defense? During this time, BVB collected twenty points from nine games and only conceded four goals. It seems as if the team is simply more stable without Hummels.
Problems between Hummels and Terzic
“There is not a single player who is guaranteed to play for us,” said Terzic – and admitted that it was “not an easy time” for Hummels. Nevertheless, according to the coach, there is a good understanding between him and the veteran in his squad. He recently had “a very long conversation” with him.
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However, this representation is increasingly being questioned. The only competitive game in recent months in which Hummels started was the first leg in Eindhoven (1-1). Afterwards, however, he took a short notice due to illness. “Something happened and Mats is behind and is more of a replacement. “It was actually impossible to imagine the first half of the season without him,” said Sky expert Lothar Matthäus on Saturday after BVB’s 2-1 win in Bremen. The relationship between coach and veteran is “chilled,” “Bild” recently reported. There are different tactical views and the two have been “repeatedly offended”.
There has probably not always been agreement between Terzic (l.) and Hummels in the past few weeks
Source: AFP/INA FASSBENDER
Hummels has never been a professional who keeps his opinions hidden. If he doesn’t like something, he’ll say so openly. Many trainers have already had this experience. Mats is a player who “is already very self-confident,” Joachim Löw once said. And that wasn’t necessarily meant as a compliment.
However, it is unlikely that this is the reason why Terzic gives him less consideration. Because Hummels was to some extent part of the problem that BVB had in the first half of the season: the vulnerability of the defense. As valuable as he still is in the development – especially since Emre captain Emre Can is having a weak season – some of the mistakes he made were also problematic. In the 2-3 home defeat against Leipzig on December 9th, he was sent off after 15 minutes after a high-risk tackle. Terzic then criticized him in an unusually direct manner. Central defenders too often tried “to have a spectacular rescue operation instead of taking on the running duel,” Caoch said. However, running duels were never one of Hummels’ favorite disciplines.
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Another reason to rely less on him and Marco Reus (34), who is almost the same age, could be perspective considerations. Reus also recently sat on the bench twice in a row. It’s about finally introducing a new hierarchy into the team. This goal has been pursued since the beginning of last season. However, no real progress was made for a long time. This was due to the fact that many players who have joined since then have not been able to live up to their leadership aspirations. But that has to change if the team wants to have a perspective beyond the season.
“In the end, we need a performance culture,” said sports director Sebastian Kehl. In order to create this, players like Süle and Schlotterbeck have to become more stable, but also feel that the wind is finally changing in Dortmund. Something has to be counteracted by the continued great influence that Hummels and Reus have in the dressing room.
BVB is fighting for a fundamental realignment
In the current season, BVB is not only fighting for its minimum goal of qualifying for the Champions League in the new season, but also for a fundamental realignment – it must become clear in the coming months that the team will in future be playing for the title again can. Only if this impression can be conveyed again will there be a real chance of keeping sought-after players like Donyell Malen. The Dutchman, Dortmund’s most successful offensive player with 13 competitive goals and four preparations, has long been on the wish list of top English clubs. The future of Jadon Sancho, on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season, is also uncertain.
A place in the round of the last eight teams in the premier class could be of enormous importance for BVB: economically and atmospherically. The additional income could massively increase the financial scope for reinforcements – and at the same time also reconcile the fans to some extent. Because the disappointment after narrowly missing out on the championship in the previous season and the many setbacks in the current season is still great.
For Terzic, who is now no longer undisputed, reaching the quarter-finals would also be a potentially valid argument in discussions about his personal future at the end of the season. BVB has only managed this three times in the past ten years, most recently in 2021. Back then, too, the coach was called Edin Terzic.
