"Shitty" defeat puts BVB in "shit mood"

Borussia Dortmund are once again flying off the handle in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup. They are waiting for a defeat against VfB Stuttgart. Which is inevitable. Two weeks before Christmas, the Westfalenstadion is in danger of exploding. Is there a way out?

The plan was actually simple: BVB wanted to reach the cup quarter-finals at VfB Stuttgart without having possession of the ball. A few pinpricks should be enough. In the end, the score was a flattering 0:2 and coach Edin Terzić stood in front of the microphones. He spoke of a completely "shitty evening" and was at least right about that. Once again, everything blew up in Dortmund's face. "We were lacking at the front and back today, we weren't strong enough in the tackles, it was a disaster in terms of soccer, to be honest," raged BVB captain Emre Can. What he said was true. BVB were a disaster in Stuttgart in footballing terms, and were really just waiting to concede a goal.

Borussia Dortmund's deeply negative approach had once again failed to pay off as they conceded two goals and their attacking efforts usually ended at the third passing station at the latest. It almost seemed as if BVB wanted to save themselves from this season's surprise team from the first minute into the penalty shoot-out.

Of course, that didn't happen because Stuttgart pressed too hard, put BVB under pressure time and again and BVB couldn't get anything going anyway. "It's about finding footballing solutions. Our build-up play is very poor. Stuttgart run up, are always there, the defenders have no time at all. There's something wrong with us," Can then explained. "We simply have to want more, have more intensity in the game. That has to come from the team and each individual."

BVB completely without an idea for the game

Nothing is coming from a footballing point of view. There's a system to it. And that doesn't bode well for the last four games of the year, which may now be about more than just points in the league and winning the Champions League group. Coach Terzić automatically comes into focus. His tactic is success. However, if success fails to materialize, his heroic soccer without heroes cannot justify anything.

The complete loss of control in the games against Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and now twice against VfB Stuttgart is based on a false assumption. It is based on the assumption that Dortmund's offense, with its exceptional individualists, can always deliver the "pinpricks" so often used at Borsigplatz these days. That is not the case. Because after the departure of Jude Bellingham, the offense is no longer filled with exceptional individualists. Not in every game can the defense around the constantly straddling Mats Hummels and keeper Gregor Kobel keep things completely together. Against Stuttgart, there was little going forward apart from an offside and a shot on the crossbar.

In December 2023, Borussia Dortmund lack a playing idea that is based on more than the tactic of missing pinpricks. That has to do with Terzić and it has to do with the new sporting management. Sporting director Sebastian Kehl has put the club on a new footing after taking over from club icon Michael Zorc in 2021. However, the new middle class of Niclas Füllkrug, Marcel Sabitzer, Ramy Bensebaini and the permanently injured Felix Nmecha, who were hastily signed before this season, are threatened with relegation. They have seamlessly bowed to Dortmund's depression. The team lacks lightness, consistency and joy.

The panic attack continues

As sporting director, Kehl is responsible for the team's slow transition from a training club for Europe's super clubs to one that wants to attack national titles with a corset of experienced players. If these fail to materialize, BVB will also have a financial problem. In the past, the foundation with its high salaries was also based on the sale of an upcoming superstar. It takes a great deal of imagination to find the new Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland or Jadon Sancho in the current squad.

At Borussia Dortmund, there are rarely any nuances. Either the Black & Yellows are on top or they plummet into the abyss without stopping. There is no doubt: in these final days of 2023, BVB is once again in free fall. Yet 2023 could have been Borussia's year. The fact that this did not happen is of course also due to May 27. The day on which they plunged into a panic attack instead of a never-ending championship celebration. It continues to this day.

Directional dispute in the management?

In the past few days, BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke had once again talked about how a day like that can have a lasting effect on a club. He really did. He has left behind a wounded club staring in panic into a future that promises little healing. A club that has been stuck in the same old present for over a decade anyway and is now also losing control of this present. The attacks always come from outside. Sometimes it's the referees who don't whistle for BVB's penalties. Sometimes it's the media that puts the runners-up in a bad light. And sometimes it's the circumstances that make it impossible for BVB to break Bayern's financial dominance anyway.

And now there is the autumn crisis, which once again casts doubt on the club's ability to achieve its minimum goal of winning the Champions League. The national rivals in the league seem too strong this year. The battle for a place in the top 4 of the league is still not hopeless. However, that could change as early as next Saturday's match against table rivals RB Leipzig and in the following games at the up-and-coming Augsburg and FSV Mainz, the triggers of the panic attack.

"The season is long. You realize that again and again. Saturday's game won't decide the whole season," said keeper Kobel after the game. He added: "We have to be extremely careful not to lose touch. That starts with the next game." The mood is "already shit" anyway.

Borussia Dortmund has once again lost itself in recent months. Of course, this also applies to the management team, who talk more about each other than with each other. This communication crisis reached its temporary climax this week with the dismissal of sports coordinator Slaven Stanic. Sporting director Kehl's intimate had spoken too loudly and harshly about coach Edin Terzić in a box. His departure came across as a desperate attempt at a course correction for the club, which was bouncing back and forth in high waves, and left the question of the relationship between Terzić and Kehl unanswered.

Even the man with so many years of power, managing director Watzke, can hardly do anything about it. He has recently appeared to be very worn down and worn out between all his offices as DFB rescuer, DFL investor seeker and UEFA official. In Dortmund, he is now also said to have become a mole hunter. Someone is talking to the media. The bosses' spat has long been public. BVB is once again a case for telephone counseling during the Christmas period. He should put 0800 1110111 on speed dial. Calls are treated anonymously and confidentially.