Has Edin Terzic failed to meet expectations at Borussia Dortmund?

UEFA Champions League success

It has been a similar story in the UEFA Champions League for Borussia Dortmund. While BVB's results were excellent, the performances were arguably less so.

Aside from convincing displays against a Newcastle side missing half their first-choice XI, Borussia Dortmund largely struggled. Only Newcastle conceded more xGA than Dortmund’s 10.6 and only Newcastle again accrued less than BVB's 8 xG.

This again points to Borussia Dortmund’s success being down to two things. The first being incredible saves, including Gregor Kobel's against Newcastle away, on Olivier Giroud’s penalty and Niklas Süle's incredible block on Kylian Mbappe. The second being lucky results elsewhere, with AC Milan failing to beat Newcastle at home despite controlling all phases of play.

Borussia Dortmund’s perseverance despite being on the bottom of the group after two matchdays points to a resiliency in the squad which could be partially credited to Edin Terzic.

However, his tactical setup in the first match was highly questionable, as a complete break from Borussia Dortmund’s typical tactics saw the squad having no idea how to get the ball into the opposition half let alone into dangerous areas.

Further, against AC Milan at home Borussia Dortmund lacked the ability to create chances in front of the Yellow Wall, a rare occurrence. Overall, Terzic failed to get Borussia Dortmund to play well in the Champions League with the eye test matching up with statistics. Further Kobel and Süle's heroics indicate that players and not the coach should be credited with the results.