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 a young man in a yellow-and-black jersey, celebrating Borussia’s Champions League victory in 1997. He was a passionate thirty-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 after 12 days 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 at 43?—and a relic of the past. There is a new development: his clock hasn’t stopped at June 13, 2024. Terzic explained this at Hudl Performance Insights, a conference on data usage 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 life, can’t wait; he has to be ready.“

And how does one prepare to return to the bench? By watching games?

”I watch a lot of them, but there’s so much more. In recent 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, 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, a friend. For six weeks, I went on vacation with my kids, whom I used to see very rarely, and I celebrated their birthdays.”

In recent 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 just like Borussia, they lost it. How big of a shock is 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 had 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 world, there’s a lot of copy-pasting; 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 in 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 there. Baggio and Del Piero had a huge impact on me.”

Don’t think you don’t have strong players; Italy is famous for how it develops players

Edin Terzic
former Borussia Dortmund coach

The hot topic in Italy right now is the national team: will it make it to 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 how 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 something: no one will want to face Italy in the quarterfinals or semifinals at the World Cup.”

So then, how do you identify 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 if he has money and social media followers, not if he wins games. The winner, who wants to improve to win on his own. 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, ‘OK.’ If you tell the winner, he’ll look you straight in the eye and say, ‘Why me?’”