Lothar Matthäus: Borussia Dortmund’s decision to part ways with Marco Rose surprising but understandable

Lothar Matthäus has said that it is understandable why the Borussia Dortmund bosses made the decision to part ways with Marco Rose and make a fresh start.

Borussia Dortmund delivered a big shock on Friday with the announcement of Marco Rose’s sacking. The Black and Yellows decided to part ways with the former Gladbach trainer following an intensive end of season analysis meeting. The decision came as a surprise to almost everyone, including Lothar Matthäus.

But the former Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder has said that he can understand why those in charge at Borussia Dortmund decided to make the change. In an interview with Sky Sport, Matthäus said:

"“It came as a bit of a surprise, but it’s understandable, because the goals in Dortmund were set quite differently and they were far from being met – especially in terms of the performances on the pitch and the defensive efforts.”“If the results had been right, the decision about Rose would have been different on Friday. The sum of the defeats, the setbacks and above all the bad games – especially at home – was simply too much. Therefore, it is understandable to me that they decided to make a fresh start.”"

Marco Rose paid the price after failing to meet expectations during his first season in charge. While Borussia Dortmund finished in the top four quite comfortably, they had to experience early eliminations from the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and DFB-Pokal.

Borussia Dortmund also struggled defensively all season long, with defensive lapses costing the team time and time again. And the 45 year old also wasn’t helped by the injury crisis that accompanied his side for the majority of the season.

Edin Terzic, who is currently Borussia Dortmund’s technical director, appears set to replace Marco Rose as head coach. The 39 year old previously served as interim head coach after Lucien Favre was sacked in December 2020. He led BVB to the DFB-Pokal title and a top four finish before making way for Marco Rose last summer. And it looks like he will now replace Rose as well.