Borussia Dortmund had a strong finish in the professionals, but the same cannot be said about the under-23 team. BVB U23 will be playing in the fourth division of German football next season, following an awful campaign and finishing in 17th place in the 3. Liga. With 17 losses and 60 goals conceded in 38 matches, many changes will need to happen to turn that department around.
Even with talented players like Kjell Wätjen and Julian Hettwer, Jan Zimmermann could not make it work and eventually left the club by the end of the season. His substitute was announced ahead of time, as former U19 manager Mike Tullberg will take over as coach from next season going forward.
Following a good spell at the U19s and a brief gap experience in the first team, Tullberg will have a lot of work to restructure and rebrand Borussia Dortmund's second team. Since he knows a lot of the same players in the squad now from his time in the lower categories, the Dane seems a good fit for the job, as he showed potential before and knows the club.
However, it will be a long and difficult ride. The Black and Yellows II will return to the Regionalliga
after three straight years in the third division. Last time BVB were relegated to the fourth division in 2014/2015, they stayed there for several years until they came back up in 2020/2021. Tullberg's mission will consist of avoiding a long stride in the lower divisions, helping develop the talents in the squad for the first team, eventually.
With good players already in the team and talented prospects in the U17s and U19s, Mike Tullberg will attempt to give a new identity to Borussia Dortmund II. Hopefully, he will be able to not only elevate the level of young stars but also bring glory back to the second team, which can always be translated and taken with these players to the professional level.