Terzic explains Reyna's form uptick: "We worked really hard to get him to develop the courage to go one-on-one again."
Eighteen-year-old Giovanni Reyna followed up a very inspired two-assist performance against Stuttgart in the German Bundesliga's 28th round with an absolute dream goal against Werder Bremen this past weekend.
On Monday, BVB interim trainer Edin Terzic discussed the phenom's return to form.
The youngster teammate Erling Haaland once christened "the American Dream" had to battle with a long recovery from a non-corona-related illness during the first three months of 2021. Finally, the teenager appears to be on the upswing form-wise. This comes just in time to help his team make a delayed push for next year's Champions' League.
On Monday, BVB interim trainer Edin Terzic discussed the phenom's return to form.
In Sunday's 4-1 win over Bremen, Reyna scored an absolute screamer of a goal from 20 meters out. Those who intuitively felt he was on the verge of a form surge found vindication. His head-coach didn't seem too surprised too see him score his first goal in four months.
"Gio is still a teenager," Terzic remarked on Monday, "It's completely normal that that there will be phases were it's not so easy. We had a lot of talks with him and tried to make some things clear. We made it clear that he has a clear role with us and always has our trust even if he didn't start."
Terzic praised specific aspects of Reyna's game; elements that he noted the coaching staff had taken extra time to work with him on.
"We worked really hard to get him to develop the courage to go one-on-one again," the trainer explained, "We lost that a bit in recent weeks and he's taken a noticeable step forward."
Observers will have surely noticed that Reyna has been much more willing to take opponents directly on in recent weeks. Moreover, he's not been afraid to accelerate the Dortmund attack with brave runs and nifty tricks.
Dortmund's attempt to catch Eintracht Frankfurt for the final 2020/21 Champions' League place continues on Wednesday when they welcome Europa League aspirants Union Berlin at Signal Iduna Park.