Edin Terzic and his role in Borussia Dortmund’s plot to win the Bundesliga title
Edin Terzic’s impact at Borussia Dortmund is finally starting to show
It’s here that Edin Terzic deserves credit. In fact, it really hasn’t been a case of his side firing on all cylinders that has led to the ruthless climb in the league table. One can point to careless goals that were conceded against Augsburg, the fortune of Julian Brandt scoring with his back against Hoffenheim, or the battle between a heroic Gregor Kobel and a Chelsea side that was seemingly obsessed with the idea of belittling xG metrics.
No, it isn’t that Terzic has suddenly transformed Borussia Dortmund into an imposing possession machine that strangles the life out of opponents in the manner of Bayern Munich or Manchester City. Rather, he has found ways to patch the holes in their play that have plagued potential title aspirations for far too long. His squad has severed the nerve to constantly shoot itself in the foot. To overcomplicate its objectives.
Whatever was said behind closed doors over the winter break has clearly resonated with his staff and players. Julian Brandt, Karim Adeyemi, Emre Can, and Nico Schlotterbeck have all significantly improved their performances since the turn of the new year. The returns of Marco Reus and Sebastian Haller will have surely inspired the dressing room to the very last man.
For Terzic, and anyone who would take on the coaching role at Borussia Dortmund, winning the Bundesliga requires a two-fold perfect storm.
The first half of the equation is out of his control – Bayern must begin to show cracks in their armor. To nobody’s surprise, it appears that Julian Nagelsmann is starting to dig the Bavarians out of a rut that provided a lifeline to both BVB and Leipzig. Union Berlin were forced to discover this the hard way.
In stark contrast, the other half of Terzic’s Meisterschale heist reveals a self-imposed roadblock with roots in the club’s stance toward youth development. It is because of the much-publicized financial strains that Dortmund must buy low and sell high. This results in a roster that is, with the exception of Marco Reus, usually headlined by a teenage star that appears destined to leave the club for Spain or England.
It has created an uncomfortable situation over the last few years whereby the senior players are cast as underperforming supporting actors for the latest prodigy. However, if Dortmund could, at last, manage to rely on veterans that are equipped to lead and consistently perform when teenage talent understandably falters, then it may just have the necessary formula to overcome Bavaria.
There is a certain level of humility required on the part of the senior players in this scenario. A willingness, not to play second fiddle to an 18-year-old, but to thrive in their role to help nurture that talent and be held to an even higher standard. Again, the coach deserves credit here for retaining the trust from his players that the season was far from lost.
Edin Terzic is now getting these types of performances out of his more experienced players that previous coaches at Borussia Dortmund could not.
They’ve bought into the plan he’s laid out to turn the season around in dramatic fashion. Suddenly, the blueprint has come alive. Emre Can appears to be hellbent on rewriting his story at the club and Julian Brandt is proving to be undroppable as the club’s leading goalscorer and creative force.