Frustration: At BVB, "many are busy with themselves"

Created: 10/01/2022Updated: 10/01/2022 7:23 p.m

Cologne's Jonas Hector (l) and Dortmund's Jude Bellingham fight for the ball. © Marius Becker/dpa

With a win in Cologne, Borussia Dortmund would have gone into the top game against FC Bayern Munich as leaders.

Instead, BVB loses 2: 3 - and Bayern pass.

Cologne – Nico Schlotterbeck uttered a loud curse as he walked into the dressing room, Jude Bellingham frustratedly threw his jacket through the catacombs: the frustration ran deep at Borussia Dortmund.

A week before the league hit against FC Bayern Munich, BVB gave away the lead in the table 2: 3 (1: 0) at 1. FC Köln and instead of three points ahead they are now tied and with a significantly worse goal difference in the duel the eternal rival next Saturday in Dortmund.

When asked if that would curb the euphoria before the bang, coach Edin Terzic replied: "We step on the euphoria brakes ourselves - precisely because of games like today.

It happens repeatedly that we simply give away games that we completely control.” When looking for causes, one quickly comes back to the Dortmund taboo word of mentality.

But that's all that matters when Terzic has to realize: "In the first 15, 20 minutes of the second half we weren't ready to show tough duels.

When you see how we fought the duels, you shouldn't be surprised.” Florian Kainz (53'), ex-Dortmunder Steffen Tigges (56') and Dejan Ljubicic (71') turned the game around before an own goal was scored by Benno Schmitz brought BVB back up (78th).

Alex Meyer chose similarly critical words as the coach.

"The way we acted after half-time just doesn't work," complained the goalkeeper: "We didn't work together as a team.

That's not how you get points.

You have to resist it, also show body language.” The reason is “that many are busy with themselves”.

Julian Brandt, the scorer of the 1-0 (31st), confirmed this involuntarily.

"I didn't pay attention to that.

Of course, I was first busy with my performance," he said: "Whether there were some intellectual ones - that can be.

Alex has a better view of it because he had everyone in front of him.”

But through the flower, Brandt also hit the same mark.

After the good first half, “you automatically lose one or two percentage points.

And that's the worst thing you can do in Cologne.

Then you saw that there was resistance and that you weren’t ready for it.”

The Cologne team, on the other hand, celebrated the surprise coup, which brought them up to two points behind BVB.

After the final whistle, coach Steffen Baumgart let out a primal scream of joy with his fists in the air.

An hour after the end of the game, loud carnival music rang out from the Cologne dressing room.

"The team that hit a little more won," said Baumgart: "If you don't celebrate a game like this as a football festival, then you can stop."

Anthony Modeste was one person who, despite his soft spot for FC, didn't feel like celebrating.

The striker, who switched from Cologne to Dortmund in the summer, was unlucky even when he returned to the old place of celebration, accompanied by loud whistles.

Brandt confirmed that both sides are still strangers to each other in terms of the way they play or are only just beginning to approach each other.

"It was never Borussia Dortmund's style of play to define themselves through crosses.

But it's a mutual accommodation," he said.

With Modeste, the knot “must really burst once.

Falling into negativity now would be the worst thing you can do.” dpa