Once the disappointment had subsided, a smile returned to Benjamin Hoffmann's face. "We can be very proud of reaching this round in the Youth League," said the coach as he praised his charges in the aftermath of the "highly deserved" 4-1 defeat by Barcelona that saw them eliminated from Europe's elite youth competition.

The 37-year-old has already turned his attention to domestic matters. "The more important match is the derby," he said in reference to Saturday's (11:00 CET) Bundesliga West top-of-table clash in Brackel between league leaders Schalke 04 and second-placed BVB, who will cut the gap to their local rivals to two points with a victory.

Hoffmann did not need long to draw conclusions from what he saw at the Mini Estadi. "Up until their equaliser, which was the result of individual mistakes, we closed down the spaces and carried out a difficult task well in terms of running and tactics. Once we went 2-1 down we had to take some risks defensively, allowing Barça to make the most of their individual class, ease on the ball and strong running." What followed was a masterclass.

Valuable experience

Hoffmann continued: "It shows the lads where they stand. They have to acknowledge that they are not quite yet where they need to be to compete at the top level in European competition." The strength and tough tackling of Orel Mangala, who was serving a one-match UEFA Youth League suspension, was sorely missed, while Felix Passlack evidently struggled to adapt on his return to the U19 fold.

Nonetheless, the U19s served as excellent ambassadors for Borussia Dortmund and collected valuable experience along the way. Hopefully, that experience will serve them in good stead next year. "After the disastrous start with those two serious injuries to Dario Scuderi and Patrick Fritsch, we managed to make the very best of this competition. The highlights were the victories in Madrid and Haifa," concluded Hoffmann. The Black and Yellows were the only German team to make it through to the play-off round and, in travelling away to FC Barcelona in the Round of 16, were arguably dealt the toughest-possible draw.

Hoffmann: "Extremely demanding"

On the other hand Dortmund's youngsters gained valuable insights into life as a professional, learning how to cope with the physical demands of midweek fixtures and dealing with the strains of travelling. "It's extremely demanding," said Hoffmann, before continuing: "They have to go to school at 8, come home in the afternoon and then train in the evening. It's much better and easier for players in other countries." In Spain, for example, where youngsters can focus more of their time on football and the UEFA Youth League enjoys a significantly higher level of importance. There's a reason why three Spanish teams – Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid – are among the eight quarter-finalists.

The youngsters captained by Dzenis Burnic will now be entirely focused on their Bundesliga campaign. Following a less-than-ideal start to 2017 during which the Black and Yellows lost 4-3 to Borussia Mönchengladbach and 5-2 to VfL Bochum, before winning 3-0 in Bielefeld, Hoffmann's entire focus is on at least securing the second-place finish that would seal a spot in the Final Round of the German Championship. "That's what we expect, and what the players expect too," he declared.

The derby is likely to prove a pivotal encounter.
Wilfried Wittke