RB Leipzig 1-4 Borussia Dortmund: Talking points from DFB Pokal triumph

Terzic claims third win in three against Nagelsmann

With Borussia Dortmund’s stunning attacking display against Leipzig comes another strong record, and that is Edin Terzic beating Nagelsmann in all three meetings this season, with Der BVB being largely dominant in each outing.

Yes, the second half was not great and Dortmund looked likely to concede much earlier than they eventually did. But that does not take away from Terzic’s game plan which gave them the comprehensive lead in the first place.

Borussia Dortmund continuously abused Leipzig’s high line, with a mix of patient build up play, capitalising on mistakes and catching them out of position with high energy pressing. The aggressive midfield play was instrumental in kickstarting these counters, and part of the reason things may have got tougher in the second half is that Jude Bellingham and Mahmoud Dahoud both picked up yellow cards. Bellingham was also subbed off at half-time, and Hazard’s introduction could not match the extra midfield presence Dortmund had in the first half.

There may have been some criticism in the early stages of Terzic’s reign when people claimed that he was out of his depth. But the 38 year old has shown that he is more than capable by turning things around completely. He took Dortmund past Sevilla to get to the Champions League quarterfinals, and beat Borussia Mönchengladbach and Leipzig on his way to winning the DFB Pokal.

Dortmund also looked destined for Europa League a month ago, but a late season surge has put qualification back into their own hands if they win their final two games in the Bundesliga.

It has long been known that Terzic will not be head coach next season with the early appointment of Marco Rose, but it is impossible not to enjoy his current success. You can see the players have a very strong relationship with him, and the way he’s been able to get the best out of everyone. With potential head coaching offers coming in, there is plenty of reason for Dortmund fans to hope that he remains a part of the staff under Rose.

As for Julian Nagelsmann, his poor record against Borussia Dortmund gives some reason for optimism as he prepares to take the Bayern Munich job this summer. He’ll have a better squad in Munich, so this may not matter but Hansi Flick seems to never get big games wrong, and Nagelsmann has rarely got them right.

Thursday’s loss means that Nagelsmann remains winless in his last seven games against Borussia Dortmund. He will get his next chance to defeat Dortmund soon enough, with BVB and Bayern set to face off in the DFL-Supercup next season.