Borussia Dortmund’s sports director Sebastian Kehl expects national soccer player Niklas Süle to significantly improve performance in the coming weeks. “I think it’s slowly starting to click,” said Kehl about the 28-year-old on Sunday evening on the TV channel Sky. “Of course, we had hoped for more, especially in the last few months. Niklas can do more, I expect that from him in the coming months,” said Kehl. He had a lot of conversations with Süle. “He is very willing to work on it,” he said when asked about the recurring criticism of Süle’s fitness level.
Despite Mats Hummels’ short-term absence, Süle initially sat on the bench during BVB’s 3-0 win at SV Darmstadt. Midfielder Emre Can played in central defense for Hummels. “I think that coach Niklas made this decision, of course,” said Kehl. Coach Edin Terzic reacted to Süle’s performance in preparation. “I noticed that this upset him, but that’s a good thing,” said Kehl about Süle.
The former Munich player has big goals with BVB and the national team and wants to play the home European Championships under national coach Julian Nagelsmann. “Of course we will support him, but he also has to step on the gas himself,” demanded Kehl. Record national player Lothar Matthäus believes a change in Süle’s behavior is urgently needed: “He doesn’t have any time left. Either it clicks now, or he can write off the European Championship.”
The future of two veterans is open
The home European Championships in 2024 could also become an issue again for Hummels. It remains unclear what will happen to the 35-year-old Marco Reus, who is a year younger, at BVB in the summer. “We haven’t decided that yet. We will start discussions at a certain point,” announced Kehl. “We know about the qualities of both players, about their abilities and their importance around the club.” Nevertheless, “there will come a point in time when you have to say, we’ll move on.”
Bundesliga table Bundesliga schedule squad Borussia Dortmund
