The air is getting thinner and thinner for BVB and Edin Terzić
Borussia Dortmund wins the group of death in the Champions League during the week, but in the Bundesliga BVB hardly manages anything. This was also the case at FC Augsburg. There they run wild, but only manage a point. Dortmund are losing touch with the extended leaders.
Niklas Süle had blood stains on his shirt and his teammates were breathing heavily. It wasn't down to the effort - but the Bundesliga frustration after the Champions League loss spoiled Borussia Dortmund's pre-Christmas season. The 1:1 (1:1) draw at FC Augsburg exacerbated the league crisis for the runners-up, who could lose sight of qualifying for the top flight again at the end of the year.
The plan to carry over the good performances from the European Cup into everyday life failed again against a relatively strong opponent - as is so often the case. Record champions Bayern Munich, for example, are six points away, despite having played two games less. "I had the feeling that it was always dangerous for us after losing the ball," analyzed BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. "We got pressure on the ball too late. In the end, we opened up because we really wanted to win."
Dortmund also had chances to make it two games, but only managed one goal through Donyell Malen (35'). "We just didn't make the things," said defender Nico Schlotterbeck. Ermedin Demirovic (23) had put FCA ahead.
BVB only had one mission
The mission had actually been clear. "We have to show this performance every three days, regardless of the competition and the day of the week," Terzic had demanded after the spectacular 1:1 against Paris St. Germain. However, his team, which the 41-year-old changed four positions, ran into problems against a courageous Augsburg side.
Time and again, FCA forced the ball to be lost through aggressive pressing, but failed to take advantage of the resulting opportunities. BVB got into the game better after just under ten minutes - and immediately had two good chances to take the lead through Marco Reus (8') and Ramy Bensebaini (9').
Dortmund then tried to control the game, but FCA put up a good fight and were rewarded. After a long ball, Schlotterbeck was denied in a rough duel with Demirovic, the FCA striker's eighth goal of the season was a formality - and also withstood the scrutiny of the VAR.
Tietz misses three great chances
Augsburg's commitment hardly diminished with the lead behind them, but Dortmund were now much more alert in their efforts to find a suitable response. BVB repeatedly tried to play quickly and vertically up top - Malen's equalizer after a beautiful interplay with Niclas Füllkrug was the logical consequence.
However, there was little sign of the slight advantage Dortmund had built up towards the end of the first half after the restart. As in the first half, Augsburg caused BVB considerable problems instead, with unnecessary ball losses and drowsiness in Dortmund's build-up play doing the rest.
However, striker Phillipp Tietz (49th/53rd/54th) alone missed several chances to regain the lead, meaning that BVB - in another similarity to the first half - got back into the game better. Both teams now played purposefully forward, but failed to take advantage of their numerous chances.
Terzić comments on rumors about possible replacement
Before the game, Terzic was asked on Sky about the rumors about his possible replacement. TV pundit Jan Aage Fjörtoft had circulated speculation on the news platform X around BVB's Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain (1:1) that ten Hag, who has been heavily criticized in Manchester, could become the new coach at Dortmund.
The BVB coach had shown himself to be combative. The BVB coach told the TV channel Sky how he was supposed to ignore this when asked about it. He could not stop it, he could not influence it. "But what I can influence is how I deal with it. I'm someone who likes to lead the way. I like to be someone who takes responsibility. I also like to be someone who fights. If I don't do that, how can I expect others to do it for me?"
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Despite their Champions League group win, Borussia Dortmund struggled in the Bundesliga, barely managing a point against FC Augsburg. Edin Terzic's team had opportunities to take the lead, but Donyell Malen's goal was their only score, as they drew 1-1. This result further complicated Dortmund's league position, as they lagged behind the top-tier contenders.
Despite Terzic's demand for consistent performance in every competition, Dortmund struggled against a determined FC Augsburg side, ultimately failing to capitalize on their chances and conceding an early goal to Ermedin Demirovic.
Source: www.ntv.de
