For the past week or so, the Borussia Dortmund U23s have been busy preparing themselves for the upcoming season. Coach Mike Tullberg, who recently replaced the departed Alen Terzic in the role, has been getting to know his new charges out on the training field. In addition to pre-season training, the new coach had another important event in his diary: his first interview with bvb.de. We caught the 33-year-old at the end of a particularly intense training session: he quickly went into the dressing room with the words ''Let me freshen up quickly,'' before reemerging to sit down for a conversation. 

''The impression I've got of the team is very good. I already know a few of the players. Overall I would say that it really hasn't taken long for the boys to become a unit. I've really enjoyed watching that happen,'' said Tullberg in his summary of his first few days in charge of the Black & Yellows. You can tell that the recently-appointed coach is relishing his new responsibilities. Tullberg is an imposing personality, both on and off the pitch, but always conducts himself with the requisite lightness of touch. The 33-year-old has big ambitions at BVB. His expectations for his players are high, but not unrealistic. ''We want to win everything,'' is one of Tullberg's mantras, and one which he explained to his players at the start of last Thursday's training session: ''Obviously we can't win every single one of our games. But for me, ''win everything,'' means that we'll give absolutely everything to try and achieve this goal,'' said the Dane in his explanation. 

A desire to win is not the only thing on the coach's list of priorities: his players should not forget the joy of the game, the courage to make mistakes, a sense of respect as well as the ability to overcome adversity. ''You enjoy the game when you're winning, we therefore all want to be winners,'' said Tullberg in a variation of his preferred motivational slogan. 

Tullberg is a true professional in his field. Despite his young age, he's been able to amass considerable experience as a coach, both at home and abroad. He's someone who knows what he's doing and is happy to share his knowledge and his way of looking at the game: ''We should play with courage. We want to be aggressive, both with and without the ball. We want to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. We have the right players to do that, you can see as much in training.'' 

Wednesday evening will see the first of two friendly matches lined up for this week. The opponents at the Aplerbecker Waldstadion will be the third-tier side Preußen Münster. ''Each of the lads will get 45 minutes to show what they're capable of. The same thing on Friday. We'll then depart for training camp. Each of the lads will have had the chance to play for 90 minutes. That's what it's all about at this early stage of pre-season,'' said the 33-year-old. 

The upcoming U23 fixtures at a glance:

26.06 – Friendly match against Preußen Münster in Aplerbeck

28.06 – Friendly match against ASC 09 in Aplerbeck