The Borussia coach, whose team reached the Europa League final in 2024, speaks to Sports Predictions: “Italy at the World Cup? Yes, and no one will want to face them. There are four types of players: the survivor, the entertainer, the winner, and the leader. Let me explain who they are”
Edin Terzic lives in a timeline all his own. He was once a young man in a yellow-and-black jersey, celebrating Borussia’s Champions League victory in 1997. He was a passionate 30-year-old who, in 2013, took a fan bus to Wembley to watch the final against Bayern. When Borussia returned to the final in 2024, he was the one coaching them, wearing a white collar under a black sweater. Terzic resigned 12 days later and hasn’t coached since: for Italy, he’s a distant figure. We perceive him as both very young—what is a coach supposed to be like at 43?—and a figure from the past. There’s something new, though: his clock hasn’t stopped at June 13, 2024. Terzic explained this at Hudl Performance Insights, a conference on the use of data where he discussed methodology, players, and life.
What has Edin Terzic been doing for the past 18 months? Waiting?
“I’m not waiting; I’m preparing: there’s a big difference. A coach, in his line of work, can’t just wait—he has to be ready.”
And how do you prepare to return to the bench? By watching games?
“I watch a lot of them, but there’s so much more to it. Over the past few months, I’ve met with 60 people to improve myself and figure out who might be a good fit to work with me when they call.”
How many passed the audition?
“Let’s say there are about ten or fifteen on my list. There are data analysts, mental coaches, and set-piece specialists. I need people who are better than me in their respective fields. Of course, I’ve also been doing other things these past few months: I’ve been a father, a husband, a brother, and a friend. For six weeks, I went on vacation with my kids—whom I used to see very rarely—and celebrated their birthdays.”
Over the past few months, there have been rumors of interest from Milan, Juventus, and especially Roma. What’s the truth?
“Respect is the most important thing for a coach—including respect for fellow coaches. What I can say is that there has been interest from some Italian clubs, but I won’t say which ones.”
A year ago, Inter reached the final, just like Borussia, and like Borussia, they lost it. How big of a shock was that? Can they make it back to the final?
“Yes, of course, they can make it back. We played in the Champions League final a year after our biggest disappointment—losing the Bundesliga on goal difference. And that year we’d sold Bellingham, whom we faced as an opponent in the most important match. Inter, by the way, really impressed me last year…”
Why?
“It’s not normal to concede just one goal in eight Champions League group stage matches. For example, I studied their way of defending against crosses, which is exceptional. In the modern game, there’s a lot of copy-and-paste; I think the important thing is not to do it blindly: you have to understand what works for you and your team. And maybe take from a coach the way he communicates at press conferences—not necessarily a technical aspect.”
Any other Italian influences?
“When I was a kid, Serie A was the best league. Klinsmann, Voeller—all the great Germans came from Italy. Baggio and Del Piero had a huge impact on me.”
Don’t think you don’t have strong players—Italy is famous for producing soccer players
Edin Terzic
former Borussia Dortmund coach
The hot topic in Italy right now is the national team: will it qualify for the World Cup?
“In Italy, you think you don’t have top-tier players, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have them by June. Italy is famous for the way it develops players. I met Gattuso when he was at Valencia and Hajduk. I’m sure Gennaro has time to build a strong team, and let me tell you this: no one will want to face Italy in the quarterfinals or semifinals at the World Cup.”
So then, how do you spot the right players for strong teams?
“I believe there are four types of players. There’s the survivor, who just wants to make it through the week and the season. The entertainer, who’s happy as long as he has money and social media followers—not if he wins games. The winner, who wants to improve in order to win personally. And the leader, who has the same qualities as the winner but wants to make an impact on the team. You can spot them pretty easily. If you tell the survivor, ‘You’re resting on Sunday,’ he’ll say, ‘Okay.’ If you tell the winner, he’ll look you straight in the eye and say, ‘Why me?’”
