For Marco Rose it’s a reunion with his old employer, for Edin Terzi? it’s about defending his lead in the standings. The duel between Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig promises top football – one that can put FC Bayern under pressure with Julian Nagelsmann.
Celebrated by the fans, praised by the players, respected by the club bosses – Edin Terzi? and Marco Rose are currently bringing spring fever to their clubs from Dortmund and Leipzig. Both football teachers seem to be in the right place at the right time and, after an impressive race to catch up, are well on the way to shattering FC Bayern Munich’s long-standing sole rule. A victory in a direct duel on Friday (8.30 p.m. / DAZN and in the ntv.de live ticker) could further strengthen the belief in a change of power. “Edin did an excellent job with his team. You can tell that we’re growing together,” enthused sports director Sebastian Kehl.
Nine competitive wins in a row bring back memories of blissful championship times under Jürgen Klopp and strengthen the club management in their belief that they have finally found what they were looking for in Terzic in their long search for a suitable head coach. Since the departure of the former cult trainer Klopp in 2015, none of his six successors has enjoyed greater recognition among the fans than the 40-year-old, who was allowed to sign the golden book of his native town of Menden a few days ago.
The fact that BVB, which was written off before the winter break, is now being traded as a title aspirant, is due to Terzic. Unlike predecessors like Thomas Tuchel, Lucien Favre or Rose, he seems to have found a strategy to reduce the mentality deficits in his team. As in his time as interim coach from December 2020 to summer 2021, when BVB managed to qualify for the Champions League with a successful final sprint and triumphed over Leipzig (4-1) in the cup final, the team has recently been convincing with unconditional resistance. The winter blues have turned into self-confidence. Players like Emre Can, Karim Adeyemi or Nico Schlotterbeck look like they’ve been changed.
The fact that his team hasn’t picked up more points (46) after 22 matchdays than under Rose’s direction the year before is lost in the renewed euphoria. After all, BVB is – unlike twelve months ago – this time in the round of 16 of the Champions League and in the quarter-finals of the cup. The plan to ensure a new performance culture through appropriate transfers last summer is apparently slowly paying off. “I believe that the path we have taken with Edin currently proves us right,” Kehl said. Terzic sees it similarly: “If we manage to consistently get our quality onto the pitch, a lot is possible this season.”
But the key games are yet to come. A lot will depend on whether Borussia confirms the positive trend in the games against Leipzig, Chelsea (7 March) and FC Schalke 04 (11 March). “It will be the most important week of the current season. These three games show a tendency to see how things will continue. But we hope that there will be more important weeks,” commented Terzic.
Similar hymns of praise can be heard from Leipzig about Rose. After his surprising exit from BVB in the summer of 2022, the 46-year-old seems to have found the right club for him in his hometown. Since their RB debut on September 10, 2022 against Dortmund (3-0) of all places, no other Bundesliga club has scored more points than Leipzig. Knowing the RB philosophy inside out made it easier for Rose. From 2013 to 2019 he worked first as a youth coach and later as head coach at RB Salzburg. With 18 games without defeat, he equaled the club record set by Ralf Rangnick, who had managed this series in the 2018/2019 season.
There are many success factors. Unlike his predecessor Domenico Tedesco, Rose relied heavily on his Salzburg star students like Xaver Schlager, Dominik Szoboszlai and Amadou Haidara right from the start. They repaid it with performance. “If I don’t give my all, he won’t let me play. It was an advantage that he didn’t have to explain to us how he thinks about football and what he demands. Half the team knew him and his style,” said Szoboszlai.
Willingness to run, speed and mentality demands Rose – and solutions in the penalty area. “We have more specifications for the processes in the last third. The coach specifies many things, such as his handwriting,” said Schlager, who surprisingly won the UEFA Youth League with Haidara in 2017 under Rose as captain. Although Rose is a buddy type, he always keeps his distance. Also, he treats everyone the same.
The vita of both coaches increases the explosiveness of the game between the second in the table and the fourth from Leipzig. Finally, the then interim solution Terzic had to give up his place to Rose in the summer of 2021 and became technical director at BVB. Only after Rose left Dortmund a year later did Terzic return to the coaching bench. This interplay of personnel did not harm mutual respect. “We get along really well. He’s an outstanding coach and a great guy,” praised Terzic.
Rose expressed his respect for his opponent: “He’s a young man from Dortmund, similar to how I come from Leipzig. Of course you can feel how deeply rooted he is in the club. Edin is a very fine person, a great coach . I can still only say that it was really good to work together that year. I’m happy to see him.”
