Edin Terzic not happy with Borussia Dortmund’s body language in 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen

Edin Terzic was not pleased with the body language Borussia Dortmund showed in the first half of their 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.

Borussia Dortmund were handed their sixth Bundesliga defeat of the season on Tuesday, losing 2-1 to top four rivals Bayer Leverkusen. Goals from Moussa Diaby and Florian Wirtz saw the Black and Yellows lose further ground in the Bundesliga title race. And head coach Edin Terzic wasn’t too pleased with the body language his players showed, especially after conceding the first goal early on.

Terzic felt that Borussia Dortmund had the chances to go on and win the game after Julian Brandt’s second half equaliser. But the 38 year old was not happy with the way his side conceded the second goal in the 80th minute, which proved to be the winner for Bayer Leverkusen.

"“We started the game quite well. Then we conceded the opening goal, which was a decisive moment in the game,” Terzic said. “We weren’t happy with the body language at all – the heads had dropped. We wanted to change that in the second half. We succeeded and scored the goal. Then we conceded another stupid and simple goal.”“Quality is always the result of talent plus mentality. Today we relied too much on talent and didn’t show enough fight. We can influence the standings with results, but not with talk. Champions League qualification is our minimum goal. It’s all about looking ahead.”"

Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus said that they gave the hosts way too much space in what was a fairly even game. He felt that the door was open for Dortmund to find a winner in the second half, but they simply weren’t able to take the initiative.

"“That was a brutally open game. We gave Leverkusen a lot of space, which meant they had a lot of chances to hit us on the counter-attack. After the equaliser, we were very much on the push. The door was open, but we didn’t go through. That’s when you have to try to kill the game and take the lead.”“After the chances we had, it’s a tough result to take. It’s a disappointing evening for us. The championship didn’t play a relevant role either before or after the game. We have to get the points now on Friday, otherwise we’ll lose touch altogether – we have to prevent that.”"

Julian Brandt, who scored his first Bundesliga goal since January 2020 during the defeat, said that Borussia Dortmund aren’t satisfied with their points total at the half-way stage of the season. Dortmund have already lost six games this season, more than any other team in the top ten of the Bundesliga standings.

"“It has been a bit of a recurring theme throughout the season. We have not been able to maintain our level over 90 minutes. I’m glad that the knot has burst for me. The first half of the season is over, and we’re not satisfied with the points we’ve picked up. A lot can still happen in 17 games, but we’re a long way from the title.”"

Borussia Dortmund must pick themselves back up quickly with their next game just around the corner. Der BVB face another tough away clash against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday.