Dortmund Have No Time to Lament Chelsea Defeat as Ruhr Derby Awaits

06 March 2023, United Kingdom, London: Dortmund coach Edin Terzic attends a press conference at Stamford Bridge ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match against Chelsea. (dpa)
06 March 2023, United Kingdom, London: Dortmund coach Edin Terzic attends a press conference at Stamford Bridge ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match against Chelsea. (dpa)
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Dortmund Have No Time to Lament Chelsea Defeat as Ruhr Derby Awaits

06 March 2023, United Kingdom, London: Dortmund coach Edin Terzic attends a press conference at Stamford Bridge ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match against Chelsea. (dpa)
06 March 2023, United Kingdom, London: Dortmund coach Edin Terzic attends a press conference at Stamford Bridge ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match against Chelsea. (dpa)

Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic gave his players a night to digest their Champions League Round of 16 exit to Chelsea on Tuesday before picking themselves up for their Ruhr valley derby against bitter rivals Schalke 04 on Saturday.

Dortmund, who were on a 10-game winning run in all competitions in 2023 prior to Tuesday, lost 2-0 at Chelsea and were eliminated. They won 1-0 win in Germany in the first leg.

With the club joint top in the Bundesliga on 49 points with Bayern Munich, but in second place on goal difference, Terzic said there was no time to bewail the defeat to Chelsea for too long.

"We know we were in a good form (coming to Chelsea). But confidence and good form won't be enough," Terzic told reporters.

"Our season started in July and we said we want a good run in all three competitions. We dropped out of the Champions League against Chelsea. It is not something you have to feel ashamed for."

Apart from their fine Bundesliga run where they hunt their first league crown in 11 years, Dortmund are also through to the German Cup last eight where they face RB Leipzig in April.

"But don't get me wrong. Tonight we are really disappointed," Terzic said. "But tomorrow morning we are going to stand up, recover and go for the next one. It is a big derby for us on Saturday."

Few Dortmund fans would remember the Chelsea exit if there was silverware at the end of the season for their club, even fewer would if that included victory at local rivals Schalke over the weekend.

The Royal Blues are back after a season in the second division and after a disappointing start they have turned their season around in recent weeks.

Schalke are unbeaten in their last six league matches, having won the last two, and have climbed off last place to 19 points and into 17th place, level on points with Hoffenheim and VfB Stuttgart in 16th and 15th respectively.

They have also conceded just one goal in the six matches.

"At the end of May we will see what we deserve," Terzic said. "This is what we want to do. We don't want anything for granted but we will see at the end of May."



Europa League Final: It’s All or Nothing for Man United and Tottenham 

The UEFA Europa League trophy on display at the UEFA Europa League Fan Festival in Bilbao, Basque Country, northern Spain, 20 May 2025. (EPA)
The UEFA Europa League trophy on display at the UEFA Europa League Fan Festival in Bilbao, Basque Country, northern Spain, 20 May 2025. (EPA)
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Europa League Final: It’s All or Nothing for Man United and Tottenham 

The UEFA Europa League trophy on display at the UEFA Europa League Fan Festival in Bilbao, Basque Country, northern Spain, 20 May 2025. (EPA)
The UEFA Europa League trophy on display at the UEFA Europa League Fan Festival in Bilbao, Basque Country, northern Spain, 20 May 2025. (EPA)

It's all or nothing when Manchester United and Tottenham meet in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

For the winner of the all-English showdown in Bilbao there is the mother of all get-out-of-jail-free cards with entry to the Champions League.

For the loser, the abyss of no European soccer next year, the indignity of so many unwanted records broken, and uncertainty hanging over the futures of those who have presided over such a spectacular fall.

That's what's on the line at Estadio de San Mamés when two English soccer giants get one last shot at salvaging the season.

Seasons of woe

Long gone are the days when United dominated the Premier League and challenged the summit of European soccer on a regular basis. But even after 12 years without winning the English title, this season has represented a new low.

United is 16th out of 20 in the standings after a club-record 18 defeats in a single campaign since the Premier League began in 1992. It is also certain to register its worst-ever points total in the era, as well as its lowest finish.

“We know this season has been nowhere near good enough for this club and for our standards,” United defender Harry Maguire said.

Tottenham is one place below United having lost 21 times in the league — also a club record in the modern era.

Spurs — Champions League runner-up in 2019 — are aiming for a first trophy since the 2008 English League Cup.

Champions League lifeline

It is rare that such a major final has so much riding on it beyond the trophy itself.

Neither team has looked capable of challenging for a top five position in the Premier League, which would secure Champions League qualification. But in a season when both teams occupy the last safe spots before relegation, they have a mind-boggling lifeline to the Champions League via the Europa League.

The Champions League offers the prestige of playing beside teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona, draws prospective signings, and comes with huge financial rewards.

Real Madrid earned almost $154 million from winning the competition for a record-extending 15th time last season. Total prize money has increased from $2 billion last season to $2.7 billion in this expanded season.

United, in particular, could do with some of that money at a time of job losses and cuts under new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, while coach Ruben Amorim hopes to rebuild his squad in the offseason.

“We are supposed to be in the Champions League. Europa League here is not enough and you have that feeling here,” Amorim said. “The best way to help us get in the top in a few years is the Champions League — it’s not (winning) the cup (Europa League).”

Trophy drought

While a return to the Champions League is also enticing for Tottenham, the chance to end its trophy barren run may be even more appealing.

Not even top-class managers like Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte ended Spurs' wait for major silverware.

It could be destiny that Ange Postecoglou is the man to end the drought, having boldly predicted early in the season that he always wins a trophy in his second year.

That was true at previous clubs Brisbane Roar, Yokohama F Marinos and Celtic, but it would be remarkable if he continued that run on the back of such a desperate campaign.

“It’s not for the want of world-class players. This club has had world-class players,” Postecoglou said. “It’s not for the want of world-class managers. They’ve had world-class managers. It’s something else that’s going to change this club.”

By contrast, United has continued to win trophies despite its failure to win the Premier League since former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

This could be the third straight year United ends the season with silverware after winning the 2023 League Cup and the 2024 FA Cup.

Under pressure

Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag as United coach in November but has not been able to turn its form around.

He's lost 14 of his 26 league games, including six of the last eight.

While there has been no suggestion his job is under immediate threat, he has raised doubts about his position, admitting he is embarrassed by his team's form.

Postecoglou is two years into the job at Spurs and became the club's fourth permanent manager in four years when joining from Celtic in 2023.

A major trophy would put a different complexion on a season in which Spurs have dramatically fallen since he led them to a fifth-place finish in his first year.

He and Amorim have spoken of the similarities about their positions.

“I guess from an emotional standpoint and the noise around the club,” Postecoglou said. “We’re kind of dealing with similar things of something that is so fantastic in terms of a European run, and also something that’s obviously the opposite of that, the other extreme in the league.”