Worries about the health of teammate Sébastien Haller continue to weigh on all BVB professionals. Nevertheless, the new season will start shortly. Is a bumpy start imminent? And does the ambitious club have to improve staff? A spectacular rumor is making the rounds.
The return to normality is obviously difficult for everyone involved. Even on the second day after the shocking news about Sébastien Haller’s tumor disease, the atmosphere in Borussia Dortmund’s training camp is still depressed. Coach Edin Terzic is therefore not only challenged tactically, but also psychologically.
“It’s a fine line. On the one hand I’m human and I’m totally shocked. On the other hand I’m the leader of this group,” commented the football teacher. “From next week nobody will be considerate anymore. Then it will only be about performance and results.”
There is little time left to process what happened before the first competitive game in the DFB Cup on July 29th at third division team 1860 Munich. Hans-Joachim Watzke cannot hide his concern about a bumpy start to the season. “Such bad news, affecting someone from your closest circle, naturally affects the whole training camp,” said the BVB managing director.
No one in the club’s management has yet spoken openly about whether the threatened prolonged absence of the 28-year-old attacker requires the squad to be improved. Watzke considers such mind games to be premature: “In my view, falling into hectic and actionism is a moral and ethical problem. We must not speculate about a player’s health before there are crystal-clear diagnoses. And until the time comes, we will a few more days to go.”
Actually, the personnel planning in the offensive had already been completed. The right replacement for Torgarant Erling Haaland, who switched to Manchester City, seemed to have been found in Haller. Now the question arises whether the looming gap should be closed with players from their own ranks such as Youssoufa Moukoko, Donyell Malen and Thorgan Hazard. Or whether loaning an experienced central striker for a season could help.
“We will prepare for everything,” Terzic commented. Like Watzke, the coach also referred to Haller’s upcoming examinations, which should provide more detailed information about the severity of the illness: “We don’t know exactly how long the downtime will be.”
Nevertheless, the first media speculation as to who could replace Haller was not long in coming. The 35-year-old Luis Suárez, who is currently without a club, was offered to BVB. The Uruguay international, who last struck for Atlético Madrid, is currently without a contract and would therefore fit the profile. But a change to Borsigplatz is almost impossible.
Unlike 24 hours earlier, Wednesday morning’s training session in front of the picturesque backdrop of the Swiss mountains was much more lively: “It’s not easy for us to find our way back to thinking about tactics, about pressing and about passing “, confessed Terzic.
Nevertheless, Marco Rose’s successor reminded his professionals of the impending emergency: “We will still implement a few things this week, including with the friendly against Villarreal on Friday. We simply have to use this phase to prepare for the entire season. “
