“UCL qualification is important”
With Thomas Tuchel leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the season, one of the Bundesliga’s “second-tier” clubs, Dortmund, is also facing a crisis.
“A win is a must,” Germany’s Sky Sports reported on Sunday. Terzic will be walking on thinner ice if he doesn’t get the three points against Union Berlin,” said a source at the time.
In 2022-23, Terzic’s first full season as head coach, having served as youth team manager, head coach, and acting head coach, Dortmund had a decent season, finishing second in the league and threatening Bayern Munich in the final round of the league, where a win against Mainz would have given them the title.
However, this season has been a 180-degree turnaround. Even with the loss of key player Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid, Dortmund were humiliated by a draw against promoted side Heidenheim and a 0-4 thrashing in Munich in a ‘der Klassiker’ that saw Harry Kane score a hat-trick. Although they finished the UEFA Champions League (UCL) at the top of the ‘Group of Death’ and booked their place in the round of 16, Dortmund have slipped to fourth place in the league so far, with 11 wins, eight draws and four losses in 23 games.
There were even “coup theories” during the season. In January, the media reported that “Dortmund players are fed up. After the DFB Pokal match against Stuttgart, key players expressed their dissatisfaction with Terzic. They pointed to overly defensive tactics and poor tactical guidance,” it reported.
“Some star players, including Marco Reus, went to chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke and indirectly demanded the coach’s departure for being ‘ineffective’,” the report 토토 continued. However, Dortmund still have faith in Terzic. One thing is for sure: there is no internal discussion about the coach within the Dortmund management. Terzic is well respected within the club due to his achievements last season.”
In the end, it seems that the trust of the hierarchy was lost. “Terzić is now under intense scrutiny, and his support from Watske is gradually crumbling,” said Patrick Berger, a journalist at the magazine. He has failed to impress the hierarchy with his recent poor performances,” said Patrick Berger.
“The Berlin game and the Bremen game a week later could be decisive for Terzic. If fifth-placed Leipzig overtake them, Terzic’s job will be even more precarious than it already is, with Champions League qualification more important than anything else.”
