Sport quarter-finals at Atletico
BVB coach Edin Terzic conjures up magical nights
As of: 2:44 p.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
BVB-Trainer Edin Terzic
Source: dpa/Bernd Thissen
BVB had problems in the league for a long time, but in the Champions League Edin Terzic’s team impressed throughout the season and made it to the quarter-finals. This was last achieved in 2013 with Jürgen Klopp. Before the game at Atletico, the coach remembers magical BVB nights.
Diego Simeone is not free from superstitions. Because Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund’s quarter-final opponent in the Champions League, had lost the first leg of the round of 16 at Inter Milan, the coach took extraordinary measures: He ordered a new set of away jerseys from the club. The old green shirts were “contaminated” and were partly to blame for the defeat, which was then corrected in the penalty shootout in the second leg. Of course, Simeone would fulfill this wish immediately. He is Atletico. The new away jerseys are sky blue.
Edin Terzic, who occasionally crosses himself before games, could at best wish he could rule BVB like Simeone, who determines almost everything at Atletico. The structure in which his Dortmund colleague works is much more complex. There is Hans-Joachim Watzke, a managing director who, even though he has announced his retirement, continues to hold all the reins tightly. With Sebastian Kehl there is a sports director whose views do not always coincide with the head coach.
Diego Simeone is Atletico, and Atletico is Diego Simeone
Source: AFP/JOSE JORDAN
The only parallel between the two coaches who face each other today (9 p.m./live on DAZN and in the WELT live ticker) is their emotional connection to their clubs. Like Simeone, who played for Atletico in the 1990s and has been successful as head coach there since 2011, Terzic is not only a coach, but also a fan of his employer. He recently demonstrated this. Since the Westfalenstadion had recently turned 50 years old, Terzic was asked what his best experiences in the arena had been. That was a UEFA Cup game against La Coruna in 1994, which BVB turned around sensationally in extra time. Terzic was standing in the south stand at the time. Then he mentioned the last minute 3:2 in a quarter-final in the Champions League against Malaga in 2013. At that time, BVB had made it to the last four for the last time under Jürgen Klopp.
Semifinals would be a milestone
Terzic dreams of being able to accomplish such heroic deeds himself. A place in the semi-finals would be such a milestone in the club’s history and in his own. “We want to do that, even if we know that Atletico is already a little monster. We want to get a result that leaves us with all possibilities and then progress in the second leg – on a magical night, like in the round of 16 against Eindhoven. We have already shown what we are capable of in this competition,” said Terzic.
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In fact, there was a noticeable discrepancy during the first half of this rather slow season. While BVB had to spend the winter in a disappointing sixth place in the Bundesliga, the club was already confirmed as a round of 16 in the premier class – despite a difficult group with Paris St. Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United. For a long time, Dortmund were a team with two different faces.
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Now the contrasts are no longer so stark. Above all, the defense and the game structure have improved. The number of goals conceded has been reduced. Dortmund no longer make as many mistakes, the organization and structure of the game are clearer.
Sancho and Maatsen are real reinforcements
This also has to do with the fact that Terzic received support during the winter break. In addition to Jadon Sancho, who poses challenges for defenders with his unconventional style of play, the second addition, Ian Maatsen, expanded the range of possibilities. With the Dutchman, the left side of the defense stabilized – but above all he helps to play forward more constructively. The defensive midfielders Emre Can and Marcel Sabitzer are relieved.
Although Jadon Sancho has not quite returned to his old glory days, he is a reinforcement for BVB
Source: dpa/Tom Weller
Above all, it pays off that two new assistant coaches, Nuri Sahin and Sven Bender, were brought in in the winter. The two former BVB professionals are setting new priorities. Sahin in particular conveyed a different, more effective game structure. The unmistakable development trend is also important for Terzic on his own behalf. After the end of the season, internal analysis will also talk about him. In the meantime there were considerable doubts as to whether he was the right coaching personality in the long term. Emotional connection alone is not enough of a recommendation.
In the meantime, Terzic’s chances of being able to continue working at the club he loves have improved somewhat. It will still be difficult to qualify for the premier class again – but success in the Champions League could outshine even a failure to achieve the most important goal of the season.
