BVB wins its tenth game in a row across all competitions and regains the lead in the table at least overnight. They also have a run because virtues such as defensiveness and the will to fight are combined with the necessary luck. The protagonist of the upswing is called Emre Can.
Karim Adeymi sat high up on the east stand in the VIP box behind a plexiglass pane. Wrapped up against the cold, but always on the move. The international is currently ruled out due to a muscle injury, but whenever his team-mates in black and yellow staged one of their speed attacks down on the pitch, the 21-year-old would get out of the saddle.
The sprinter in the waiting room had a lot of fun, just like the more than 80,000 visitors in the Dortmund stadium, if they didn't travel from far away Leipzig. In the end, everyone who gave their heart to the Revierklub had to tremble. It went well, just as everything is going well for BVB at the moment. Of course, the 2-1 (2-0) was happy in the end, but that's the way it is when a team experiences what footballers call a run. One wheel meshes with the other, everything runs as if by itself, in the end everything turns out well.
Since the beginning of the year, BVB's legendary series has now totaled ten wins in a row in three competitions. This is a value unsurpassed in all European professional leagues. At least for one night, the stock market-oriented football company is ahead of the permanent champions from Munich at the top of the table. At least as valuable is the fact that the Dortmunders extended the safety margin to the unloved challenger from Leipzig to seven points. Captain Marco Reus summarized the experiences of the 90 minutes as follows: "We're having a hard time and have to tremble to the end. But we're still happy."
And further: "You only get success through hard work. And we've been delivering hard work for weeks." It was a further contribution to the eternal debate about the mentality that has accompanied the often fickle Dortmunders for years. Fans and observers talk themselves into a rage, while players, coaches and officials have long had enough of the discourse. What is meant is the willingness, in addition to the lush footballing qualities, to let that defensiveness flow into the game with every appearance that prevents you from letting a rustically appearing opponent buy your guts.
Terzić played a big part in the fact that this virtue, which was demanded again and again, apparently grew at a young age. After the first half of the season with various setbacks, the coach had many conversations and was apparently heard by his team. The "Süddeutsche Zeitung" speaks of a "new work ethic" that makes it possible to close the previously porous ranks. Terzić himself puts the development like this: "We are now showing that we as a team take care of each other."
Midfielder Can has observed "that we talk to each other a lot and are there for each other". But Terzić has also provided more security and stability in the tactical area. At the beginning of the year he established the reinvigorated Can as a deep six for the first time in the away game in Leverkusen, which not only acts in front of the defense, but also lets itself fall back into the back four in order to condense the spaces in the dangerous zone.
A trick that has proven its worth, the number of avoidable goals conceded has dropped noticeably since then. Can, who is one of the big earners in Dortmund and who many had already written off as a bad buy, is the most significant symbol of Dortmund's upswing. His monster tackle, with which he scraped the ball off the line in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Chelsea London and thus saved the win, is celebrated in fan circles as a symbol of a will to assert oneself, which they have long missed in Dortmund.
Can not only shines as a strategist and robust duel, but also as a spokesman and tireless driver. He also scored the second goal against Leipzig with a direct acceptance, which was enough to add another three points to the account. For him, Can is "the perfect example that you can work everything out with us," says coach Edin Terzić: "He's really good at how he determines the rhythm."
Other protagonists also benefit from the growing unity: Julian Brandt has been in a great mood to play for weeks, the exceptional sprinter Karim Adeyemi, who has been a stranger in the first half of the year after moving from Salzburg, is now a differentiating factor with his enormous speed, even if he is currently injured.
Niklas Süle, Nico Schlotterbeck, Marius Wolf, Salih Özcan and Julian Ryerson, brought in by Union Berlin - the list of Dortmund professionals who have been in the fast lane for weeks could easily be extended. In addition, Dortmund have Gregor Kobel, who is probably the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga at the moment. And if – like against Leipzig – he fails at short notice, Alexander Meyer steps in and holds up just as well.
It all adds up to a total work of art with which a lot can be achieved. Especially if luck remains a constant companion at Borussia. The man of the hour, Emre Can, formulates the new credo at Borussia Dortmund as follows: "You can't play your best football every day. But you can fight every day."
