Lothar Matthäus: Edin Terzic’s tactics do not fit the DNA of Borussia Dortmund
By Tushar Bahl
Lothar Matthäus believes that Edin Terzic’s pragmatic and cautious approach does not fit the DNA of Borussia Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund were handed another reality check on Saturday as they suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Stuttgart. The Black and Yellows were lucky to only lose by one goal, as Stuttgart missed a host of great chances and forced a number of excellent saves from Gregor Kobel.
The result also saw Borussia Dortmund drop out of the top four. And while it is still early in the season, alarm bells will certainly be ringing at the club.
Lothar Matthäus has now had his say on BVB’s woes. And the former Germany captain is of the opinion that Edin Terzic’s tactics do not fit the DNA of the club. But he does not expect the 41 year old’s future to come into question just yet.
"“Why did they play so cautiously against Bayern? When they did make bold forward runs, they looked decent at times. You can’t just play defensively against Bayern – or in Stuttgart. That’s not the DNA of this team,” Matthäus wrote in his column for Sky Sport.“There were five or six attacking players on the pitch against Bayern, but Edin Terzic decided to stand compactly at the back and transition quickly after winning the ball. Dortmund had made friends with this tactic to some extent, at least the results had gone their way until the Bayern game. But they are not playing the kind of exciting football they used to.”“The ability and quality are there. They have speed, experience, strength in tackles – the team can certainly perform differently, but it is unsettled.”"
Terzic said last month that Borussia Dortmund’s focus is to play “less sexy, more success-oriented” football. And while that pragmatic approach paid dividends against Newcastle United in the Champions League, BVB have not looked convincing in the majority of their games in the Bundesliga this season.
dark. Next. Takeaways from Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 loss to Stuttgart
A number of crucial games lie in store for Borussia Dortmund in the coming months. And Edin Terzic will hope that he can find the right solutions to steer the ship out of troubled waters before the winter break.