It has certainly been a frustrating season so far for Borussia Dortmund. With the Black and Yellows struggling to find a consistent run of form, they have been unable to keep up with Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Regardless, steady progress in the Champions League and a return to the top four in recent weeks has offered Dortmund’s head coach, Edin Terzić, a glimmer of hope going forward. It was undoubtedly something that the 41-year-old required after a ferocious post-match press conference two weeks ago when BvB were held to a draw by Heidenheim.
Nonetheless, a positive performance at home to Freiburg on matchday 21 has set Die Schwarzgelben up for an away trip to Wolfsburg on Saturday afternoon. In the pre-match press conference, Terzić hinted towards how Dortmund have to build upon that victory against Freiburg against Niko Kovač’s side:
“Consistency is the big goal—not just within a week, but within a game. We will address it in our preparations for Wolfsburg. We know our mission is to get fluctuations under control.”
For Dortmund this season, there has been a lack of creativity and attacking connections. However, against Freiburg, Donyell Malen and Niclas Füllkrug blossomed together as an attacking duo, something that Terzić hopes to see more often going forward:
“He (Füllkrug) also benefits from the fact that we play very disciplined on the offense. We discussed a few topics with him and the entire offense. I think he already performed well in games during the first half of the season. It was good for him to train completely with the team. The interaction with Donyell Malen worked really well. But we hope he has not already reached his limit.”
Nevertheless, there are other areas in which Dortmund have to improve. But, with persistent injuries, Terzić suggested that it is difficult to implement changes.
“Some things are difficult to practice on the training pitch when we talk about consistency. We want to continue conceding few goals, but we want to score a lot of goals too. We have made adjustments in terms of positioning and personnel. Personnel will continue to be an issue. You can tell that if we rehearse the positional and passing discipline and get into the game, the prospect of success becomes greater. But we should not ignore issues such as intensity and impetus in the rest of the defence.”
A trip to Wolfsburg certainly offers Dortmund the opportunity to start proving that they can perform on a consistent basis, with the Wolves winless in their last six. Regardless, Terzić insisted that Kovač “is doing a good job” and that BvB will need to focus on their “own issues” if they are to come away with all three points.
GGFN | Will Shopland
