Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic attributed Jude Bellingham’s presence on the bench against RB Leipzig to concerns about his fitness
Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic stated that his decision to exclude Jude Bellingham from the squad against RB Leipzig was not related to the criticism he received from Emre Can.
Bellingham was selected as a substitute in the quarter-final match, which saw Dortmund lose 2-0 and get knocked out of the DFB-Pokal.
Edin Terzic, the head coach of Borussia Dortmund, clarified that his decision to leave Jude Bellingham on the bench during their match against RB Leipzig had nothing to do with Emre Can’s recent comments about the young midfielder.
Can had criticized Bellingham for allowing his emotions to get the better of him during games.
Terzic explained that Bellingham was not included in the starting lineup due to fitness concerns and not due to any issues within the team.
Bellingham’s omission was down to fitness problems
“Jude signalled after the game against [Bayern] Munich that he wasn’t 100 per cent fit,” Terzic told Sky Germany.
Asked about Can’s criticism of Bellingham, Terzic said: “That has nothing to do with the decision.”
Bellingham has made 36 appearances for Dortmund this season, with only Nico Schlotterbeck playing more games (37).
Bellingham has started all but three of these games. Despite being linked with several top European clubs, the 19-year-old midfielder was only brought on in the 60th minute during Dortmund’s loss to Leipzig and was unable to help his team make a comeback.
In a well-deserved victory, Leipzig scored twice, with Timo Werner finding the back of the net in the 22nd minute and Will Orban scoring in the 98th minute. Leipzig had 11 shots on target compared to Dortmund’s one.
“It was basically a s*** evening“
– Terzic
Dortmund has had a difficult month. BVB have exited from both the DFB-Pokal and the Champions League. On top of that, a 4-2 loss to Bayern Munich on Saturday saw them lose top spot in the Bundesliga.
Terzic did not express any grievances regarding Dortmund’s defeat to Leipzig. He acknowledged that their season is effectively finished unless they take lessons from their recent consecutive losses.
“It was a catastrophic game in the first half,” he said. “It was basically a s*** evening. We did not advance to the next round of a cup we had a good chance of winning.
“It’s now a matter of looking ahead. There’s still an important competition in which we want to play a big role.
“But if you look at the performance against Leipzig and the performance in Munich. it will be difficult for us if we continue to play like this.”
