Borussia Dortmund’s Niko Kovac addresses Serhou Guirassy’s refusal to shake his hand | OneFootball

As Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy’s current form dip continues to drag on, the Guinean international’s frustration with his current situation begins to boil over. Guirassy let it be known that he wasn’t best pleased to be substituted off relatively early in last night’s Bundesliga victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

BVB head coach Niko Kovac had seen enough from his target forward as the hour-mark approached. Guirassy noticeably wasn’t able to hold the ball up well. Two minutes before exiting proceedings, the 29-year-old failed to convert what would have been an easy enough finish from a good position. 

Guirassy has now gone without a goal in his last three league fixtures. Though the forward was able to bag a brace in Tuesday’s Champions League victory, Guirassy missed from the penalty spot once again against Villarreal. 

Upon the occasion on his subbing off last night, Guirassy declined to shake Kovac’s outstretched hand. Guirassy deliberately ignored his coach. Kovac spoke on the incident afterwards at the post-match press conference. 

“I understand that a player doesn’t always like to be taken off,” Kovac said. “Serhou and I nevertheless remain kindred spirits. And I’m not just bullshitting you either. We really are on the same page. He understood why he was being substituted off. Everything has been settled. All is well.

“And it’s not like things were bad to begin with,” Kovac continued. “It wouldn’t be ideal if someone greeted a subbing off with smiles and smirks. One doesn’t want someone who is happy to be taken out of the game.“

After being asked a follow up question on the matter, Kovac reassured a reporter that – at his age – such things simply weren’t worth letting bother him. With a calm and reassuring smile, Kovac conveyed that there was no festering resentment on his part. 

“I’ve grown to the age of 54,” Kovac said. “Maybe I would have reacted differently to something like this a few years ago. In the meantime, I’ve learned that emotions are a part of the game and adrenaline plays a role. One has to deal with such things.

“We sorted everything out after the game and all is well,” Kovac continued. “I’ve supported him and will continue to support him. He’s our most important striker; the one who scored the most goals last season. He knows how important he is to us, but I think he also knows how important I am to him.“

GGFN | Peter Weis