BVB bosses seem to have forgotten what philosophy they follow

Lucien Favre is no longer the coach of Borussia Dortmund. There have been signs of his dismissal in recent months, but in the end it comes as a surprise. A comment.

On Sunday at 3:15 pm, BVB announced on its website that Lucien Favre was no longer a coach. The newspaper “Bild” had previously reported on the dismissal, and with that, one is tempted to finally say correct. Since Favre took office in the summer of 2018, the Vaudois had to go through the German media again and again, their end was prophesied countless times and the “Bild” ran a true campaign against the Dortmund manager.

In the past 15 months, Favre felt like he had a countdown after every loss. But BVB bosses around managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke and sporting director Michael Zorc always stuck with the coach, who failed to lead the club to the long-awaited championship title, but established BVB as the clear number 2 in Germany. behind the seemingly overwhelming Bayern and made up of young players. how Erling Haaland (20), Jadon Sancho (20) or Giovanni Reyna (18) could get the most out of them.

Furthermore, Favre is one of the most successful BVB coaches of all time, although he “only” won one Super Cup title. Even the long-awaited Jürgen Klopp (1.90) couldn’t get a glimpse of the Swiss, as in the 1970s only Thomas Tuchel (2.12) had a better cut than Favre.

But after the 1: 5 applause at home against Stuttgart, Watzke and Zorc lost their patience. He is “of the opinion that the achievement of our seasonal goals is in serious jeopardy due to the recent negative development in the current constellation and therefore we must act,” quotes sporting director Zorc.

What does Zorc mean by that? Granted, BVB are currently sixth in the league, but with six points behind leader Leverkusen, the chances of their first championship title since 2012 are pretty much intact. Especially since Bayern are no longer unbeatable this season, as proved by a 2: 3 from BVB’s point of view in the direct match in early November. BVB also went through to the knockout phase as group champion in the Champions League, and is still represented in the cup.

What Favre was never able to put out, however, were the lapses against the supposedly small teams. A 0: 2 in Augsburg earlier in the season, 1: 2 at home to relegation candidate Cologne two weeks ago and now the shame at promoted Stuttgart. These slip-ups likely cost the 63-year-old his head in the end.

Hardly anyone can do better with boys than Favre

Of course, Borussia Dortmund has a great name and yearns for trophies. But the club’s management seems to have forgotten their philosophy and that with this abundance of young talent, it simply takes time for the fruits to ripen. In addition to Haaland and Sancho, who are the best in the squad at a young age, Favre has also managed to integrate teenagers Gio Reyna, Jude Bellingham and Youssoufa Moukoko into the squad in recent months.

All young players with enormous potential for development. And Lucien Favre was exactly the right person on the sidelines: a coach who trusts guys and knows how to treat them very well. Almost nothing stood in the way of a bright future. However, it has become increasingly apparent in recent months that the roads would part sooner rather than later. Club bosses always avoided questions from journalists about Favre’s contract expiration in 2021.

With the sacking of the French-speaking Swiss, Watzke and Zorc now stumble. Now you have to look again for a soccer teacher who knows how to deal with the many talents and at the same time can meet the high expectations. And by the way, it should bring with it the characteristics of Jürgen Klopp. Former assistant coach Edin Terzic will take over the team until the end of the season. The 28-year-old Croatian is considered a stimulus that can emotionally charge his players, just like Klopp.

What if that goes wrong with Terzic? The “Bild” see Gladbach coach Marco Rose as the favorite to succeed him. Apparently he has a release clause in the contract for the summer. And Favre? That, in turn, could become a problem again at Gladbach, where it still enjoys an excellent reputation.