Marco Reus’ next BVB gala
The captain in the second spring
By Felix Meininghaus, Dortmund
09/07/2022 06:31 am
Dortmund’s captain Marco Reus is in impressive shape at the beginning of the Champions League preliminary round in the sovereign win against Copenhagen. But also the defence, which remains without a goal again, proves to be prepared for the premier class.
In the 35th minute, the fans in the south stand were allowed to sing one of their favorite evergreens: “Dortmund boys, Dortmund boys, we are all Dortmund boys.” Marco Reus, who was born on May 31, 1989 in the city of the eight-time champion, grew up in the Körne district and is revered in the legendary “Yellow Wall” like no other current professional, scored the lead for his Borussia.
Even without this delicacy, the atmosphere was great. The continental football association UEFA had allowed standing room in the European Cup for more than 20 years, which gave BVB the Champions League record number of more than 70,000 visitors and a rousing atmosphere. So it was fitting that the hosts not only won their first group game in the Champions League against visibly overwhelmed Danes from FC Copenhagen by a clear 3-0 (2-0), but their flagship player also presented himself in a brilliant mood to play .
Reus not only provided the first sense of achievement, he was also the linchpin of the game. The fact that the stock market-oriented football company with Donyell Malen, Karem Adeyemi and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens has lost a lot of speed on the flanks due to injury – given as long as Reus is turning up as it is at the moment. The fact that center forward Anthony Modeste, who was signed from Cologne, continues to look like a foreign body in his new place of work can also be easily coped with under this premise.
60th time the 1-0
You don’t have to be a proven football expert to see how valuable Reus is for Borussia at the beginning of autumn. For Edin Terzic it’s no coincidence, Dortmund’s coach praises how professionally his captain has prepared himself for the current season: “Marco ended his vacation a week earlier to start preparation and that’s paying off now.” Every trainer would like one of his senior employees to do his homework so meticulously: “He was able to work on the basics,” explained Terzic in the press conference, “and the way he is now leading the way is outstanding. That’s how we imagine it, that’s how it is he’s welcome to continue.”
In fact, the numbers speak for themselves: With 27 goals on the European stage, Marco Reus is already BVB’s record goalscorer, and the fact that he scored 1-0 for the 60th time in all competitions is a club record. He has now scored 156 goals in black and yellow and is fourth in the all-time top scorer list. He will easily outperform club legends Manni Burgsmüller (158) and Michael Zorc (159) in the course of the first half of the season, while Reus also has his sights set on leading Adi Preißler (“it is crucial on the pitch”), who leads the ranking with 174 goals.
Is it enough for the World Cup?
The fact that the 33-year-old is in the second spring of his career is certainly also registered outside the Ruhr area. If his form remains the same, Marco Reus could become an important factor in the DFB selection for the World Cup in Qatar, which begins in November. When asked if he had to go to a higher level with relevant information, Terzic said he didn’t think “I have to explain to Hansi Flick how good Marco Reus is”. The national coach has “repeatedly emphasized the high regard he has for him. He is experienced enough to assess what he can do.”
And what does the Blessed One say? He made it clear that he didn’t want to praise himself and instead emphasized “that we have to improve. Next week against Manchester City there is a different quality on the pitch.” This is well observed, whereby the Dortmunders can claim not only the impressive form of their leader but also that their defense, which was so holey last season, is now amazingly stable. BVB kept a clean sheet for the fifth time in seven games against Copenhagen across all competitions (three times in the league and once in the DFB Cup and in the Champions League). These are great values that Marco Reus much prefers to talk about than his performance. It gives the team “confidence that we haven’t conceded a goal again,” said Dortmund’s best: “At the moment we’re being rewarded for defending together and for nobody being too bad for it.”