Analysis: Does Edin Terzic have what it takes to lead Borussia Dortmund’s ‘remontada’ this season?

After a devastating end to last season at the Westfalenstadion, Borussia Dortmund fans and players still struggle to absorb the traumatic experience from that Mainz match on May 27th. As revealed in interviews, the memories of that fateful day still resonate in the players’ worst nightmares. And it is one of Edin Terzic’s main responsibilities to now deal with that issue and perform a ‘remontada’, or a comeback story, in Dortmund.

In a recent interview, Edin Terzic described that match against Mainz as “part of our story,” claiming they must own that title-losing performance to move forward. And honestly, he could not be more right. Even though it hurts every time, especially the sound of that final whistle and all the fans’ dreams going down the drain with it.

Sometimes, remembering past mistakes or misfortunes is a positive way to find the inner strength to guarantee that those days will never come back to haunt you again. This kind of approach from Terzic is relevant to restore the confidence level in the squad and galvanise the players, but will it be enough to change things?

Since his appointment as the new BVB head coach, many have questioned if Edin Terzic has what it takes to lead this team back to glory. The 40-year-old has certainly had a beautiful trajectory at the club, from his time as a scout and assistant coach to finally becoming the head coach of his boyhood club. He also helped BVB during the tough times, winning the 2020/21 DFB-Pokal following Lucien Favre’s sacking mid-season.

But maybe, Dortmund requires more than a fairy tale story to transform BVB into a title-challenging team in the Bundesliga and, perhaps, the European scale.

A football coach usually trails a long path, from the academy to playing professionally and later transitioning into coaching, while Edin Terzic’s case was slightly different. He played exclusively in amateur leagues during his time as a footballer, which does not necessarily mean he doesn’t have a ‘footballing background,’ but Edin might lack more experience in the so-called ‘big boys club.’

The kind of experience that Edin Terzic lacks, both on and off the pitch, is surviving within the environment of the big leagues — he is literally experiencing it now. In order to do so and succeed, coaches require a certain amount of time dealing with the pressure of coaching a first-division team and improving in different areas.

The two main areas would be: tactical repertoire, to face some of the best and most promising coaches in the game, like Thomas Tuchel, Marco Rose, and Xabi Alonso, and people-management skills, to support your team through good and bad times. Those are the ingredients that Borussia Dortmund need to develop currently, which brings me back to the question on the title: