"Push beyond your limits: Kovač on facing promoted Köln" | OneFootball

A look at the table reveals it: Dortmund and Cologne are not that far apart. After eight matchdays, only three points separate the two clubs. Niko Kovač (54) therefore raises a warning finger ahead of the encounter with the Cathedral City team (October 25, 6:30 p.m.).

The BVB coach is convinced. Against 1. FC Köln, it will be “a tough battle.” At Friday’s press conference, Kovač therefore demands full commitment from his players: “Every single one must go beyond his limits.”

Promoted Cologne has “started the season very well,” praises the Dortmund head coach of the Rhinelanders. So far, only the top teams Leipzig and Stuttgart have managed to defeat Effzeh. Lukas Kwasniok (44), who moved from Paderborn to the Rhine in the summer, has formed a team that “plays very quickly vertically forward and looks for their finishes,” analyzes Kovač, and therefore demands: “We have to be ready right away.”

In terms of personnel, the BVB coach can “draw from the full squad” despite the strenuous English weeks, as he himself reveals. Yan Couto (23) and Serhou Guirassy (29) were struggling with a cold, “but that won’t be a problem for tomorrow.”

Kovač: Competition in the squad is very high

The football coach is almost spoiled for choice. “The competition in the squad is very high,” Kovač says happily. But he “tries to give everyone the minutes we trust them with.” For example, in the 4-2 win in the Champions League at FC Copenhagen compared to the 1-2 defeat in the Bundesliga at FC Bayern, he changed five players. “You can see: the quality is still the same!” emphasizes the Berlin native.

Increasingly pushing into the starting eleven is Fábio Silva. The 23-year-old summer signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers scored his first goal in a competitive match for the Black and Yellows in Copenhagen. At first, an adductor injury stopped him, but now he is getting more and more into his stride. “I think you all see that he is a very high-quality player. We are very happy that he is here,” Kovač affirms. Against Cologne, Silva is likely to get his next chance. “He is a very good player, both in terms of quality and character,” the 54-year-old enthuses.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.