Bring our own strengths into play

After his promotion from assistant coach to head coach, Edin Terzic took charge of his first match for BVB on Tuesday. Based on the win away in Bremen, it seems he's adjusting well to his new role: ''We all agreed that we wanted to put in a brave performance. If I demand bravery, then I have to be brave in the way I go about things. That's the way to do it.''

His debut on the sidelines proved a success: the Black & Yellows travelled back to Dortmund with three points in the bag thanks to a 2-1 win. ''Overall we can be happy with the performance and the fight we showed, although we can definitely play better from a footballing perspective,'' said the BVB head coach as he analysed the match, adding: ''I really liked the way we wanted to get the win at any cost.'' On Wednesday, the team sat down to discuss the match: what went well, and what didn't go so well. ''We've set ourselves a benchmark for the commitment and desire we play with,'' said Terzic, who expects to see his team play with similar fighting spirit in the future. He nonetheless felt there were aspects of his side's footballing performance which can rapidly be improved on: ''We want to do better in this regard on Friday.''

Emre Can - who wasn't included in the starting line-up on Tuesday - was singled out for special praise by his head coach: ''He makes his voice heard - all game long, before the game, in the dressing room. He sets an example.'' Terzic considers it important that everyone helps push one another forward: ''He did that incredibly well, and also made a contribution when he wasn't on the pitch.'' Attacking players Jadon Sancho and Marco Reus also showed a reaction on Tuesday and posed a real goal threat. 

Despite an intense game, Terzic is confident that all his players will be ready for action against Union. After the starting XI took Wednesday off to recover, the squad went through their final training session on Thursday before departing for Berlin. A decision has yet to be made as to whether or not Thomas Delaney and Thomas Meunier - both sidelined by injuries recently - will be included in the matchday squad.

Friday's hosts have been in fine form this season. Going into Matchday 13, they find themselves ranked sixth in the table - among the Europa League qualification places. Although Union haven't won any of their last four matches, they were able to take the lead in both their 2-2 draw in Stuttgart and their 1-1 draw at home to Munich. Last season, BVB suffered a 3-1 defeat in this fixture: ''Back then we experienced how much energy the club have,'' said Terzic, adding: ''Normally the second season in the Bundesliga is considerably harder than the first. That's what people say in football. Well they aren't letting that get to them. They are very stable and bold.'' Terzic is asking his team to minimise the opposition's strengths and bring their own strengths into play.  

After the final Bundesliga match of the year, BVB will next be in action on Tuesday (22 December) when they host Eintracht Braunschweig in the DFB Cup. A winter break, in which the new coach can impart his ideas to the team, will not be available this year. This won't be a problem for Terzic, who is familiar with this situation from his previous experience in England and Turkey: ''I'm used to working like this. We'll talk about a few things which we don't have time to work on right now. But we also have to recuperate, as we have a lot of matches ahead of us.''

Christina Reinke

BVB-TV by 1&1: press conference before 1. FC Union Berlin