Edin Terzic 2022/2023: What can Borussia Dortmund fans look forward to the second time around? – tactical analysis

As Borussia Dortmund start preparations for the new season, a familiar face will be back in the dugout. Following the departure of Marco Rose, the Bundesliga club have appointed from within and Edin Terzic will once again take the reins at the Signal Iduna Park.

Terzic has penned a three-year contract until 2025 and will leave his role as Technical Director, which he filled for one season after finishing his first stint in charge of Dortmund as interim manager. The 39-year-olf is a popular choice amongst the fans as he is seen as an appointment who has a connection to the club.

He was raised in a town just outside Dortmund, called Menden and was first on BVBs books as a scout in 2010. After this, he went on to be assistant coach of the U17, U19 and reserve sides before accepting roles as assistant first-team coach at Besiktas and West Ham United under Slaven Bilic, later returning to the club as assistant to Lucian Favre in 2018.

This article provides a tactical analysis of how Borussia Dortmund will look to play under Edin Terzic. We will analyse the tactics and the key principles of his philosophy to show what Dortmund  can expect as he looks to implement his ideas as their full-time manager.

Defensive Phase

When Terzic took over from Lucian Favre in December 2020, he initially set Dortmund up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and looked to defend in a 4-4-2 shape.

Just before his dismissal, Favre had moved away from his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation and opted to play a 3-4-2-1 due to Dortmund’s vulnerabilities in the centre-back position.

Defensively, the same troubles remained, and Dortmund was often exposed between the lines during the opposition’s build-up and the space behind the fullbacks during attacking transition. Leipzig have three players positioned between Dortmund’s defensive lines and right across their defensive third.

Following this, Terzic changed Dortmund’s defensive shape. Although the 4-2-3-1 approach was sometimes still used, a 4-3-3 was primarily adopted so Dortmund defended in a 4-1-4-1 shape.

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