Why Can and Wolf are in the squad
BVB stars should teach the DFB team mentality
By Sebastian Schneider
03/21/2023, 7:02 p.m
For years, Borussia Dortmund has been criticized for its alleged lack of mentality. But suddenly the Bundesliga leaders are a role model for just that. A BVB professional in good form can best explain how this should help the DFB team.
Great events cast their shadows ahead. And so it is not surprising that the German national soccer team is currently focused on one thing: the European Championship in their own country next year. “It will be a very nice experience,” predicted Bayer talent Florian Wirtz at the DFB press conference with Matthias Ginter and Emre Can. “Rudi (Völler) said a few days ago that we can all look forward to it.”
Because talking about the recent past hardly brightens the mood. Nothing has happened since the World Cup debacle in Qatar, the last appearance of the DFB selection was the end in the group phase – the 4-2 win over Costa Rica. There is therefore no news from the field until Saturday at the earliest, when the team of national coach Hansi Flick contests their first test of the year against Peru (8.45 p.m./ZDF and ntv.de live ticker) and then plays Belgium the following Wednesday (8.45 p.m./RTL and in the ntv.de live ticker).
In addition to sporting success, the DFB-Elf also has a second major mission that is closely linked to the first: bonding with the fans. Ginter explained how this should work at the press conference. There are two ways to increase fan loyalty – either success or not “showing yourself so distant”. He himself did not name the perfect example of this, but it is obvious: Borussia Dortmund. BVB is at the top of the Bundesliga table during the international break, coach Edin Terzić has rekindled the love for the fans. On Sunday he performed at the Dortmunder Nordstadt-Liga season opener, a street football competition for young people. And there he impressively demonstrated what fan love means (read more in detail here with Stephan Uersfeld).
Emre Can loves duels
Meanwhile, there was also someone on the DFB podium who knew the secret of Borussia. Emre Can appeared somewhat surprisingly in the national coach’s list of nominations. The 29-year-old played his last international match under ex-national coach Jogi Löw – in 2021 he came on as a substitute in the knockout round of the European Championship against England. So now the return, which new coach Flick gave extra praise a few days ago. “I spoke to Emre before the World Cup. I said to him at the time: ‘Hey, listen, we have a European Championship in Germany in 2024. If your development is as we imagine it, you have another chance here to play in the team to come.’ That’s how it is now,” said Flick.
It is still unclear exactly where Can will be in the team. “You will see my role in the course of the measures here,” said the 29-year-old himself. “I love duels, I love throwing myself in for the team,” he continued. “I want to prove myself and also play international matches.” And explained that in the end it also comes down to mentality. Because after years in which BVB was criticized for its alleged lack of just that, they are suddenly exemplary in it.
It is what the Borussia Dortmund players should also pass on to the national team. “Things are always going very well at the club this year,” said Can. This is perhaps an understatement: BVB is still unbeaten in the league this calendar year and could increase their lead over Bayern to five points with a win in a direct duel on April 1st. “You can say that we are a really good team,” explained Can, “we have to be honest and say that we didn’t always play well.” However, BVB have always shown mentality, the players on the pitch “hit each other for each other”. “I think we can take that as an example for the national team.”
Also learn from Argentina and Morocco
BVB is not the only good example. Argentina and Morocco in particular have been the new trend teams since the desert World Cup. While the former won the title around superstar Lionel Messi, the latter sensationally stormed into the semi-finals. “They didn’t always play football well,” Can said of both teams. “But they were a team, a unit, they always threw themselves in.” He believes that a lot can be achieved “if you defend a team together and play football together as a team. If everyone understands that and gives 100 percent, you can be very, very successful.”
That’s why the second surprise in the DFB squad, criticized by temporary captain Joshua Kimmich, comes from Dortmund: Marius Wolf. “These are both players who have a mentality that we need on the pitch,” Flick explained the nominations. Can supplemented this with his own personal impressions. “Before I came to BVB, I didn’t know much about Marius Wolf,” he said. But he hadn’t just noticed him positively in the past few weeks: “Not just how he trained, but how he accelerated. He never complained, he always did his thing.”
At the same time, Wolf could solve a long-standing structural problem in the DFB squad. Because Kimmich feels at home in defensive midfield, there has been no one since then who can hold the right-back position. Wolf is currently doing an excellent job at BVB. And maybe even with the national team. “Marius can take the chance, I definitely trust him,” said Can.