Eit was an understanding smile. “This is the third time I’ve been asked this question,” said Marco Rose, and then he went back a little when he answered. Did BVB get back in the Bundesliga title race with a 5-1 (3-0) win over SC Freiburg?
“We are Borussia Dortmund – the club that always consciously claims to have the championship here again at some point. But we also know how the season went,” he said. Then the BVB coach pointed out what was supposedly familiar: the stability of Bayern and their own problems as well as the lack of consistency in his team.
What else should Rose say? It’s true. “During the winter break, the Bundesliga was once again considered extremely boring.” The fight for the title was more or less decided, it was said. After all, BVB lost the top game against Bayern and then said goodbye to the Christmas holidays with a 2:3 win at Hertha BSC, also with a very poor performance.
Dortmund’s coach Marco Rose was satisfied after the win against Freiburg – but also underlined the demands of his employer
Source: dpa-infocom GmbH
It can’t all be different all of a sudden, says Rose. Even if Dortmund’s performance against Freiburg, purely in terms of the table an aspirant for the Champions League, was quite impressive. But overly far-reaching derivations would still be prohibited. “It’s much more important that we remain constant,” explained the coach: “If we want to win the cup again, we have to get better.” And that from week to week.
Dahoud towers against Freiburg
Still, Friday gave a taste of what BVB could be capable of. Concentrated and determined, the Dortmunders put their opponents in order. The first half in particular was almost perfect. Almost everything was right, with which the team had repeatedly had problems in the current season: the Freiburgers were put under pressure with determined pressing. Even after losing the ball, the game was regained almost immediately thanks to strong counter-pressing.
In addition, there were significant improvements in standard situations, which was a focus of training last week: the 1-0 (14th minute) and 2-0 (29th) came from corners – both times Julian Brandt brought the ball in, both times it was Thomas Meunier successfully with a header. “Those were balls and runs that we had discussed,” Rose said. Erling Haaland then made it 3-0 at the break (45′).
It was a performance that was worthy of a title aspirant – even if there was a short phase in the second half around the Freiburg goal by Ermedin Demirovic (61st) in which Dortmund took their foot off the gas. “We opened the door again unnecessarily,” Rose complained. However, BVB then picked up the pace again. Haaland again (75th) and the strong Mahmoud Dahoud (86th) made the victory, which was also deserved at height, perfect.
Criticism instead of jubilation: Exceptional striker Erling Haaland finds harsh words against BVB
Source: dpa-infocom GmbH
A week ago it was a strong half-time at 3-2 in Frankfurt, when a 0-2 deficit could be made up, but this time there were 80 minutes at a high level. Rose was particularly pleased with the “attitude” his team had displayed. “Spirit and energy – these were themes that we picked up after the Christmas vacation. We have to keep at it, ”he called for a similarly high level of concentration for the coming weeks.
In terms of sustainability, they could become a stress test: on Tuesday we go to FC St. Pauli in the DFB Cup. In the Bundesliga, the opponents are Hoffenheim, Leverkusen, Union Berlin and Borussia Mönchengladbach – all competitors in the fight for international places.
Haaland criticizes BVB
However, there are also challenges off the pitch. The much-noticed Haaland personality continues to smolder. A decision on the future of the goalscorer, who could switch at the end of the season for a fixed fee, is still pending. There are different ideas about when this should be done. “Of course it would be good if you didn’t drag out a decision forever, because that requires consequences in all areas,” Sebastian Kehl, the license player boss, told WELT.
On Friday, Haaland spoke up himself. “The club started putting pressure on me to make a decision,” he said in an interview with Norwegian streaming service Viaplay Football. He himself “hasn’t said anything out of respect for Dortmund for the past six months,” Haaland continued. But since the club is pushing him, there will now be a decision in a timely manner. “It’s what the club wants and it means things are going to happen now,” he explained.
Those responsible in Dortmund see this in a completely different way. “We don’t put any pressure on Erling at all. There are currently no talks or appointments, so I can’t understand it,” said Hans-Joachim Watzke to the WAZ. However, the managing director also emphasized that an endless amount of time should not elapse before a decision is made. “We can’t wait until May, that will make sense to him.” Haaland must understand that “at some point the future will have to be talked about”.
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