Post-Match Report
Lessons from Bodø and a Look Toward Berlin
For the first 55 minutes, only one team was really playing, and that was FK Bodø/Glimt, the leader of the Norwegian Eliteserien. “When we had possession, we didn’t win our one-on-one duels—or rather, we didn’t even look for them in the first place. We didn’t support each other enough on offense, and we didn’t really defend aggressively on defense. Before the 1-0 goal, it felt like they were able to pass the ball back and forth 30 times without having to win a single tackle,” said frustrated general manager Lars Ricken. Fredrik Sjøvold scored in the 52nd minute for last season’s surprise UEFA Champions League team.
When head coach Niko Kovac stepped in to make adjustments on the eve of his 55th birthday—making four substitutions at the one-hour mark, at 10:15 p.m.—“we showed what’s possible with more courage and a bit more intensity,” said sporting director Ole Book. “From that point on, we proved that, in principle, we had the quality to beat Bodø,” said Ricken: “But as is often the case in games like this, the goalkeeper rises to the occasion, and time runs out.”
There were plenty of chances in the closing stages of the game to pick up at least one point and remain undefeated, but the score remained 0–1 from Dortmund’s perspective. “When you’re playing in the UEFA Champions League, you have to be sharp from the first minute to the last, because only then do you have a chance, no matter who you’re playing,” Kovac criticized. “We don’t need to make any secret of the fact that we didn’t play well, especially in the first 55 minutes,” said Ricken.
The return to action after the long international break didn’t go as expected. First, the two late goals that led to a 2–2 draw against Werder Bremen; now, the 0–1 loss at Bodø/Glimt. “But we don’t have to act as if everything is bad,” emphasized midfielder Felix Nmecha: “We had a good start to the season. Now we’ve had two games that didn’t go the way we wanted. We have a very important game on Saturday, and we have to do better there.”
The team’s management sees it similarly. “I can’t wait to head to Berlin. That’s the good thing about having a game every three days,” said Lars Ricken, looking ahead to Saturday’s Bundesliga match at 1. FC Union Berlin: “It’s not a bad thing that we’re heading to Union with a little fire in our bellies.”
“I’m optimistic and very confident that we’ll bounce back this weekend,” said Ole Book, adding with regard to the period leading up to the international break: “The league games leading up to this one were really good. That’s why there’s absolutely no reason to look for underlying issues within the team.”
As strange as it may sound after the evening in northern Norway: In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund has a chance to set a new record for the best start to a season and reclaim the top spot in the standings. The results so far (and the performances that went with them) speak for the team. Bodø should be seen as nothing more and nothing less than a slip-up. Felix Nmecha: “We have a very good team. We need to stay positive within the squad. I know we can achieve a lot this season.”
Boris Rupert
