What positives has Niko Kovac brought to Dortmund, what’s still missing? | OneFootball

For the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the focus was on Borussia Dortmund's sporting situation even before the 4-2 victory at FC Copenhagen. The podcast looks at the changes and development opportunities under Niko Kovac, the strengths and weaknesses of the squad, and the general prospects for this season.

Niko Kovac clearly mismanaged the first half of the classic match at FC Bayern Munich. He let his team play timidly, set up much too defensively, and even though he corrected this at halftime, it ended in a 1-2 defeat. It wasn't the first time in his career that Kovac overestimated supposed security over trusting his own strengths.

Only when this changes, and he allows BVB to confidently face strong opponents, will the team develop into the stature that Borussia Dortmund should perceive itself to have. However, Niko Kovac has already achieved a lot of positives. The qualification for the Champions League last season was mainly his achievement.

Moreover, there is discipline in the squad, which even players like Karim Adeyemi have now internalized. He presents himself as if transformed, which the coach likely has a part in.

Photo: IMAGO

The Nature of BVB's Defeat in Bayern is Instructive

However, the squad shows a certain imbalance. There are many candidates for the number eight position – Felix Nmecha, Marcel Sabitzer, Julian Brandt – but for the crucial number six role in football, there is really only Pascal Groß. Additionally, the wingers Maximilian Beier and Karim Adeyemi have their strengths mainly in their speed. However, this rarely comes into play in normal proceedings when BVB is the favorite in a match and the opponent acts very defensively.

There is also a lack of players who act "compellingly," as is the case with Joshua Kimmich, for example. Many members of the BVB squad are more classified as "academy players," like Felix Nmecha or Marcel Sabitzer, according to Freddie Röckenhaus, thus avoiding the term mentality.

Overall, with this squad, one must at least finish second in the Bundesliga, and the fight for the championship title should not be abandoned after the defeat at FC Bayern Munich. Rather, the second half in Munich showed other coaches how to deal with the currently seemingly unstoppable FC Bayern. And since FC Bayern will also go through a weak phase – the squad is also quite thinly staffed – even the current seven-point deficit of BVB is not yet a foregone conclusion.

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