BVB managing director hans-joachim watzke has taken coach lucien favre to task after borussia dortmund’s recent disappointing performances and issued a clear appeal to the team.
"Lucien, you still have our trust, but one thing is clear: in the end, fubball is always defined by results," watzke said on sunday at the annual general meeting of the fubball bundesliga club in dortmund. "We hope that it will be possible to bring about a turnaround for the better."
The team had previously been greeted with whistles and boos by some of the 1200 members in attendance. There were isolated shouts of "shame on you" and also "favre out". Watzke demanded a clear improvement in performance from the professionals in the upcoming games against FC barcelona in the champions league on wednesday and hertha BSC in the league on saturday. "We are borussia dortmund, you have to see that. Pull yourselves together, tighten up," said 60-year-old. "Try to perform as is expected of borussen."
After the disappointing performances in the 3:3 loss to SC paderborn and the 0:4 loss to FC bayern, captain marco reus also sees the team as being primarily responsible for the team’s performance. "We mustn’t keep shifting responsibility," he said of criticism of favre. "We on the pitch must be able to win a game like against paderborn. We have enough qualitat in the squad to show that."
BVB sports director michael zorc had previously said that favre would also sit on the bench in barcelona. Preceded by a first crisis round with watzke and zorc, also the team of the revierclub had sat down together. "While it is imperative to address certain things. But they remain internal," said reus about the meeting. President reinhard rauball, who was due to be re-elected on sunday, warned: "two days after friday’s disastrous performance, there is an increased need for clarification and talk."
Now BVB and favre are under severe pressure in barcelona on wednesday when it comes to progressing in the champions league. "We must show from wednesday that we can do better and we can. But this requires certain virtues," demanded reus. "At the moment we only ever play well when we feel we have nothing left to lose. Now the main focus is on being there from the start and not always falling behind."
Manager max eberl of bundesliga table-toppers borussia monchengladbach advises BVB to stick with favre. "I trust lucien to turn things around, even if it’s hard. Lucien is and will remain a great coach," said eberl in "doppelpass" on sport1 on sunday. For him, the discussion about the former gladbach coach favre is crazy. "Changes of coach are not the panacea". I am a friend of holding on to certain things. He must make it possible for the team to feel this joy. Maybe the solution has to be to motivate the team more," said eberl. He worked from 2011 to 2015 in monchengladbach together with favre.
Favre’s trainer colleague urs fischer from promoted union berlin also hopes that the swiss player will stay in dortmund. "I wish him good luck, that he stays cool, that he makes a good game in barcelona," said fischer: "i hope that the people in charge stay calm, but that’s what i wish for every coach."