Borussia Dortmund’s newly formed U19s have commenced their preparations for the 2023/24 season with a 26-man squad. “It will be an exciting season and a big challenge. We have a lot of individual talent in the squad, but the decisive factor is that we function as a team,” said head coach Mike Tullberg, who is entering into his fifth year at BVB and assured: “I’m really looking forward to it.”
The usual performance tests, which all players took part in including the still-injured Luke Rahmann, took place at the beginning of the week. The work on the pitch will get under way on Wednesday. “The lads have some hard weeks ahead,” smiled Tullberg, who wants to go “as far as possible” in all three competitions (Bundesliga, UEFA Youth League and DFB-Pokal). “The ultimate goal, however, is the West German championship. We’re aiming for a hat-trick, a third title in a row. That will be incredibly difficult, but I’m optimistic,” Tullberg explained. For the first time since 2018/19, the Bundesliga will return to a round-robin format with home and away fixtures. Under his tutelage, BVB have not lost a league match.
In addition to the four U17 European champions Paris Brunner, Almugera Kabar, Chris Herrmann and Kjell Wätjen, goalkeepers Robin Lisewski, Marlon Zacharias and Gustav Aabro as well as outfield players William Rashidi, Dustin Plöger, Luke Rahmann, Nico Adamczyk, Gökdeniz Gürpüz, Raul König, Alex Niziolek and Cole Campbell will move permanently to Borussia’s U19 squad from the U17s. They will be joined by talents from the younger age groups: Tyler Meiser and Elias Benkara (both 2007), as well as Danylo Krevsun and Moussa Soumah, who were signed during the winter transfer window.
Marlon Ubani, Filippo Mane, Rafael Lubach, Julian Rijkhoff and Vincenzo Onofrietti were already part of last year’s squad.
Filippo Mane becomes the new captain
Tullberg is getting started with the basics and explained: “We will place our focus fully on defensive work and must learn to defend together – even if it hurts. That is a mindset. But football is a results sport, even at U19 level.”
He has chosen Filippo Mane as his “extended arm” on the field of play. “He is well regarded in the group and has a great character. Filippo radiates composure and patience; he wants to take the final step of his development with the A-Juniors and move to the senior level next year as the most complete player possible,” said Tullberg of his defensive strategist, who will soon travel to Malta with the Italy U19s for the European Championships (3-16 July).
Borussia’s U19s will contest their first friendly on Wednesday (6 July) away to senior Oberliga outfit Victoria Clarholz (kick-off at 18:00 CET at the Holzhofstadion). Prior to the training camp in Schwäbisch Hall and the “Bundesliga Cup” tournament (14-16 July), the team will go up against Viktoria Köln on 8 July. Further friendly fixtures against top-quality opponents, including Danish outfit Nordsjaelland, are planned after that.
The Bundesliga campaign – and Mike Tullberg’s “title defence mission” – commences on the weekend of 12/13 August.
(wiwi)