After a shaky start: BVB star Bellingham thrives under Kovac | OneFootball

After the narrow victory in Augsburg, BVB coach Niko Kovac has clear words. While he criticizes his team, Jobe Bellingham receives special praise.

Borussia Dortmund's coach Niko Kovac once again stood protectively in front of Jobe Bellingham and attested the young Englishman great development potential. After the hard-fought 1-0 victory at FC Augsburg, Kovac found clear words regarding his team's performance but did not hold back on praise for the 20-year-old.

"You could already see in the last game in Frankfurt what qualities he has. He is present, has good physicality, and a playing quality that he also brought to the field here in Augsburg in his 30 minutes," the BVB coach raved on Sky. Kovac was particularly impressed by how quickly the newcomer from Sunderland is adapting to the Bundesliga level: "I think it's even faster than I imagined because the boy really has a lot, a lot of quality."

Bellingham, who came from AFC Sunderland in the summer for around 30 million euros, had to be content with the role of a substitute at the start of the season. He has been in the starting lineup five times so far and has appeared in all 18 competitive matches. After initial difficulties, he now seems to be increasingly settling in Dortmund.

BVB Coach Kovac Raves About Bellingham

Against Augsburg, the midfielder was responsible for a game-deciding scene: With a spectacular tackle, he prevented a possible equalizer by Elvis Rexhbecaj shortly before the end – an action that even impressed his teammates. "Outstanding," commented captain Julian Groß on his teammate's rescue act.

Nevertheless, Kovac used the success in Augsburg to caution his team. "We played too many easy misplaced passes. We are not active with the ball. That means: We are more or less too passive, which I don't know from the guys," criticized the coach clearly.

While the coach sees room for improvement in the build-up play, Jobe Bellingham can look forward to growing trust. The former hopeful, who also made headlines at the beginning of the season due to family unrest, is now showing more stability and dynamism. If his positive development continues, Niko Kovac could soon give the young Englishman a permanent place in the starting lineup – perhaps as soon as the upcoming Champions League clash against Manchester City.

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