“Stress test passed!”: What Sets BVB Apart This Season | OneFootball

World Cup winner Lothar Matthäus had witnessed “a mature performance” from the Borussians in black and yellow: “They defended compactly, shut everything down in the second half, stood their ground superbly, and capitalized on their chances.” And BVB Managing Director Lars Ricken breathed a deep sigh of relief after the victory on the banks of the Neckar: “Stress test passed! Last season we were sitting here in the locker room, had won 2-0, and didn’t really know why. Today we know. I saw a team that stood its ground—and not just in terms of fighting spirit.” Ricken was impressed not only by “how they held on to the victory until the end, but also by how courageously they defended while pushing forward, especially in the first half, when they tried to dominate the game with their play.”

The former pro and lifelong Dortmund man is thrilled with the work Niko Kovac has been doing since March 2025: “Under Niko, we’ve developed a certain resilience. The team is really eager to defend its own goal.” BVB covered two kilometers more than the opponent (120.5 kilometers) and also made their mark in attack. After an intense 90 minutes, the winners had edged the shot count 13-11.

“In the first half, we had a lot of control; in the second, it was a bit the other way around,” said Niko Kovac: “VfB had a bit more possession there, though I have to say: We hardly gave away anything over the course of 90 minutes.” In the third of four league games so far this season, they kept a clean sheet. “What those three are clearing away is truly remarkable,” said Ricken about the back three of Joane Gadou, Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck. “You wouldn't know at all that he was out for months with his injury,” Ricken added about Schlotterbeck.

Borussia Dortmund is the only team to have beaten VfB Stuttgart, who are strong at home, in 2026. And they’ve done it twice, in April and now in September. “When you win an away game in Stuttgart against a genuinely strong team, that’s a real statement,” said Niko Kovac after his 52nd league game as BVB coach. His record stands at 35 wins, eight draws, and nine losses. With an average of 2.17 points per game, Kovac ranks ahead of Thomas Tuchel (2.09), Lucien Favre (2.08), Marco Rose (2.03), Jürgen Klopp (1.91), and Ottmar Hitzfeld (1.86) on the club’s all-time list.

And so Lars Ricken, too, can head into the 20-day international break feeling satisfied. “It’s great that we’ve won every game so far in all competitions – the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. We said we wanted to be a challenge for others.”

Action resumes in 20 days. On October 9, the Black and Yellows will kick off a run of nine matches in just 30 days with a home game against Werder Bremen. BVB will tackle this stretch with the knowledge of what has made them strong.