Peter Bosz, the current coach of PSV Eindhoven, was noticeably aloof when quizzed about his feelings towards his former club, Borussia Dortmund. He succinctly stated, “I wasn’t there that long. I respect the club, but I want to beat it.” This comment came in the lead up to the first leg of both teams’ round of 16 games this Tuesday (9 p.m./Amazon Prime Video) which took place at the Philips Stadium.
Despite the fact that his team is performing well in the domestic league, remaining undefeated and confidently leading, Borussia Dortmund (BVB) is perceived as the favourite for these two matches. Nonetheless, fourth place in the Bundesliga may not be as easily achieved as when FC Arsenal emerged victorious with a 4-0 win over Eindhoven at the commencement of the group phase of the premier class. Bosz expressed his belief in his team’s growth and development in the subsequent weeks, leading them to the round of 16. Bosz’s team managed to secure their position in the knockout rounds, finishing second in the group, ahead of Lens and Sevilla.
Bosz holds Julian Brandt in high regard
Peter Bosz, who has previously coached both Borussia Dortmund and Leverkusen, unequivocally believes in the quality of his current squad. “This is the best team I have ever worked with. And I’ve been doing the job for a few years,” he declared. He strongly believes that his team should not shy away from the challenge of competing against Borussia: “You have to have the courage to play football. Otherwise you have no chance. We have to show the football we play all year against BVB.”
He fondly recalls his time in Germany when he had the opportunity to coach BVB professional Julian Brandt during his stint in Leverkusen. He described Brandt as “A great player. I hope he doesn’t play against us.”
Bosz, who is now 60 years old, appears to have a deeper affection for the Bayer team rather than BVB, where he served as a coach between 2019 and 2021. He enthusiastically commented on Bayer’s recent success, who are currently dominating the Bundesliga by remaining undefeated: “I worked longer there. That really makes me happy. Hopefully they can prevent Bayern from becoming champions. They play really good football.”
