Coach ranking: Kovac ahead of Mourinho, yet still well adrift | OneFootball

Niko Kovac has so far impressed Borussia Dortmund’s decision-makers with his work. Nevertheless, there are skeptics, especially among the fans. A coaching ranking has now produced a surprise.

ESPN has published just such a list. Numerous coaches were assessed based on various factors. Playing style was one of them, as were communication and the way a coach deals with players. But so were their achievements so far at their current club.

The positive news for Kovac: he made it into the top 30. However, he did not place particularly high.

Kovac ahead of Mourinho, but well behind the top 10

The BVB coach can be found in 23rd place. The Croatian is one spot ahead of Jose Mourinho and is expected to sign a new contract in Dortmund soon.

Photo: IMAGO

Last season was, in a sense, a chance for Kovac to make amends. After taking over the struggling Dortmund team in January 2025, he led them to second place behind Bayern, and a look at his tactics shows his development as a coach, ESPN argued.

Whereas he had previously been an advocate of an orthodox back four, Kovac has reinvented himself at Dortmund with a compact back three. His 3-4-2-1 system is marked by the fact that this team is difficult to score against and can switch quickly on the counterattack. The wing-backs are also given freedom, which makes BVB more unpredictable, it says.

Critics in Germany, however, also believe that despite all the stability, a few finer touches are still missing. That was one of the reasons why Kovac was still some way off the ranking’s top 10. Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness finished in 19th place, while Bayern coach Vincent Kompany came ninth.

The prominent list is topped by Luis Enrique (PSG), followed by Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta (Arsenal).

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