Schlotterbeck sets sights on automatic qualification: “When the floodlights at home come on...” | OneFootball

“Over the 90 minutes, my team made a very focused and concentrated impression. It was important to me that we showed a good response following the disappointment that we all felt,” he said, referring to the 3-3 result three days previously against VfB Stuttgart. The previous seasons in particular have shown how important successes are, especially when things aren’t going so well on the pitch - as was evident in the case of BVB just a few weeks ago.

In the UEFA Champions League, Borussia Dortmund are the second-best German team after Bayern Munich, and after the games on Tuesday they climbed to fourth place in the table. Europe’s goal-scoring machine from the Ruhr area have scored 17 goals in five games. The eleven goals conceded are eleven more than those conceded by Arsenal, and are surpassed by only three of the 36 other teams. “Four goals again - and finally another clean sheet,” said relieved and satisfied sports director Sebastian Kehl. “We have learnt from last year that the goal difference can be significant,” noted Julian Brandt. Currently it is decisive as it means that BVB are ahead of top clubs Chelsea FC and Manchester City in the table, who have the same number of points.

The team want to qualify automatically for the round of sixteen rather than taking a detour through the playoffs. This means finishing eighth or higher in the table at the end of the league phase. Nico Schlotterbeck has made a simple calculation: “We have three games left, and two of them are at home. I think that if we win both home games, we’re through.” The national player explained his reasoning: “This is now my fourth year at Dortmund. During that time, we’ve only lost a Champions League game at home once - that was against Barca in the group stage. When the floodlights at home come on, when the stadium is lit up, then we’re hard to beat.”

Especially since the team has strength in depth, meaning Niko Kovac can keep bringing on fresh legs in the packed match schedule. Five changes between two games are more of a rule than an exception. Captain Emre Can started on the bench in the game against Villarreal, and in the game against Stuttgart it was Daniel Svensson’s “turn.” Kovac’s strategy is: “Not to push anyone to play, otherwise they’ll get injured. We need to be careful. That’s the secret to having lots of fit players: we can regulate it and share the load. Every single player who comes on has the quality.”

This also applies to Karim Adeyemi, who the coach had playing from the start of the game against Villarreal - he went on to sing the praises of the man who scored a goal and won a penalty: “I have a very good relationship with him. I ask a lot of him because I know that he can do so much. He proved that in this game. He can and he needs to show that in the upcoming games too. I know Karim from his time at Salzburg. The guy has skills that are unmatched in the Bundesliga. When he brings everything to the game like he did today, he’s a world-class player.”

And he can make all the difference. Hopefully in the “Leverkusen double header” in the league on Saturday and the Cup the following Tuesday.

Boris Rupert