Youssoufa Moukoko was the matchwinner for BVB against Union Berlin. In Stuttgart, he could take the next step.
With his goal to make it 2-1 against Union Berlin last matchday, Youssoufa Moukoko not only made the hearts of Borussia Dortmund fans beat faster, but also those of his coach Edin Terzic in particular. The coach had done everything right by substituting his joker in the 74th minute:
It took Moukoko just five minutes to put the ball into the opponent’s goal and secure BVB three important points in the championship battle. Reason enough, then, to have the 18-year-old start from the start in the away game at VfB Stuttgart on Saturday (3:30 p.m./Sky). Or?
“Youssoufa applied very well last week,” said Terzic, who – as always – did not want to let his cards show. Moukoko’s return to the starting eleven would be an understandable step, though: Sebastien Haller, set in the forward line in recent games, still has to get used to the high strain after his testicular cancer illness. Anthony Modeste, on the other hand, has hardly played a role at BVB recently.
Since the start of the second half of the season, the 34-year-old has only played 76 minutes in the league and has not scored a goal. The Frenchman, who has a strong header, does not really fit into Dortmund’s system of play, in which quick passes and a high tempo play an important role. Donyell Malen, meanwhile, has been convincing on the right wing for a few weeks now and is finally radiating goal threat with three goals in three games. That leaves Moukoko.
As Edin Terzic revealed at the press conference on Thursday, however, they do not want to rush anything. He said it was important for both Moukoko and Karim Adeyemi to make the right decisions after their lengthy injury breaks. “And we all do that together, we deal with each other openly and honestly,” Terzic emphasized.
Terzic: Moukoko was “disappointed and angry”
When asked if both had 90 minutes in the tank again, the 40-year-old did not give a clear answer, but of course it helps if both collect minutes. Adeyemi came back into action for the first time after his muscle fiber tear suffered in the home match against Hertha BSC (Matchday 21) against Union and played 70 minutes. For Moukoko, it was his second brief appearance after a substitution in Munich following a syndesmosis ligament tear.
Too little for the striker’s taste. Moukoko had been “disappointed and annoyed” when he learned before the game that he was not in the starting eleven against the Berliners as hoped. After a brief conversation in which Terzic probably predicted to his protégé that he could decide the game, the 18-year-old took up his joker role. Following his goal, the striker then ran halfway across the pitch to Edin Terzic, hugged him dearly and thanked him.
