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Cheering Ajax players, a disappointed Erling Haaland (r.)
Photo: Ulrich Hufnagel / imago images / Ulrich Hufnagel
In the 38th minute, Mats Hummels had seen enough. Ryan Gravenberch had just missed the hosts' umpteenth chance. BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel wanted to bring the ball back into the game quickly, after all they were 0-2 behind, but Hummels clearly gestured: take it slow. In almost 150 national and Champions League games, the veteran has developed an early warning system for impending disasters - in Amsterdam it hit early.
In disbelief, Dortmund's trainer Marco Rose followed the events continuously from the edge of his coaching zone. There were mistakes after mistakes in the setup of his team to marvel at, as well as "too little movement in the front third and a few lost tackles too much," as he complained after the game. For a more in-depth analysis, "this game can be used well," added Rose after the 4-0 defeat at Ajax Amsterdam, BVB's biggest defeat in the premier class.
And there were plenty of examples for studying video: Jude Bellingham's wave of disapproval shortly before Hummels' instructions to calm down, the overwhelming demands of his two full-backs Nico Schulz and Thomas Meunier or the non-existent access to the game by the offensive series.
Even Donyell Malen, who won 30 million euros, looked completely lost in a team that even Erling Haaland could not save with his two chances.
"We want to really challenge Ajax," Julian Brandt had explained before the game.
There was no sign of this fighting spirit on the pitch.
Rose mentioned the taboo words "charisma" and "body language" several times at the press conference.
Problem areas that Ajax coach Erik ten Hag didn't have to worry about.
His team turned out to be the "well-oiled machine" that Rose feared, and with an almost blind understanding, attacked attack rolled in the direction of the BVB goal.
Led by someone who has currently taken on the role of Haaland's most accurate Champions League shooter: Sébastien Haller.
The French have scored six times so far, mind you in his first three games in the premier class.
Target player Haller hits for the sixth time
He made it 4-0, but even more important was his files, his presence up to that point.
Together with the outstanding Antony, Steven Berghuis and Dušan Tadić, he refined the targeted pass sequences, this permanent gap tear, let it bounce, be available for a one-two.
Ten men defend, ten men attack, the famous "Voetbal total" from Amsterdam, initiated by Jack Reynolds, perfected by Rinus Michels, brought into the world by Johan Cruyff.
Ajax 2021 plays in the stadium that bears the name Cruyffs.
Before the game, the fans thought of Michels in a great choreography and his saying "Voetbal is oorlog", "Football is war".
Fortunately, he is no longer that in German-Dutch games, but won, his Ajax descendants still won.
Everything just went together that evening.
“Our main goal in our plan was to have possession and let the ball go.
The boys did an excellent job, ”praised ten Hag.
He's a professional enough to enjoy victories, but also Dutch enough to get intoxicated with beautiful football.
Nowhere else in European football is the style of performance so important compared to what is on the scoreboard.
In 2019, the year after taking office, he already had an inspiring team together.
Ajax knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus one after the other in the Champions League, only to be eliminated in the last minute of the semi-final second leg against Tottenham Hotspur.
The drama was followed by a sell-out, Frenkie de Jong went to Barcelona, Matthijs de Ligt signed with Juventus.
Illustrative material for BVB
Not even a handful of professionals from the squad stayed with him, but the 51-year-old has realized something that they are aiming for in Dortmund: creating a team of coaches. He and his system stand above everything, and only then does sporting director Marc Overmars get those players who fill this up. Or pull up the next super talents from “De Toekomst”, the youth center located right next to the arena, which translates as “The Future”.
On this memorable evening in Amsterdam in front of 54,000 enthusiastic spectators, they received plenty of illustrative material for the future of the Dortmund game: Rose, who dutifully defended his team, spoke of the "hard work" of "the activity and flexibility in positional play" who lay in front of them "as a team, together" and stood in front of his leading players without being asked.
Aspects that you bring up as a coach in a press conference if you want to work with your players for a longer period of time.
What was going on inside him beyond that exposed a question from a Dutch journalist.
How the Dortmund coach was doing after such an evening, he wanted to know.
"Shit," was the short answer.