Pressure on Kovac grows: BVB bosses make two clear demands | OneFootball

After a run of disappointing results, the pressure on Niko Kovac at Borussia Dortmund is becoming increasingly noticeable. The club’s decision-makers have given the BVB coach two clear demands.

Borussia Dortmund’s end-of-season run-in is going anything but smoothly. Following a series of disappointing results, what was once a comfortable lead over their pursuers has melted away — and with it, the pressure on coach Niko Kovac is growing. As Sport Bild reports, the club’s leadership, headed by sporting managing director Lars Ricken, has now formulated specific demands for the 54-year-old. Despite his still-solid standing internally, one thing is clear: Kovac has to deliver.

The main focus for now is Dortmund’s style of play. Criticism of the team’s lack of creativity and imagination has been following BVB for some time, and was further fueled by the recent defeats against Bayer Leverkusen (0–1) and TSG Hoffenheim (1–2). Kovac himself recently admitted there are shortcomings in the squad and said: “What we certainly don’t have are those players that some people here might like to see — with those extra skills.”

Alongside more attractive football, the bosses are also demanding, according to Sport Bild, greater involvement of the club’s own young talents. Players such as Samuele Inacio, Mathis Albert, and Almugera Kabar are expected to take on more responsibility in the future and gain playing time with the first team. In doing so, the club’s decision-makers are sending a clear signal about the club’s future direction.

The BVB bosses’ trust in Niko Kovac remains intact

What is notable is that Kovac had been pursuing a different approach just a few weeks ago. With the season entering a tight final stretch, he wanted to avoid experiments and made it clear: “We have no room to experiment. We still have eight games left, difficult games against direct rivals.” However, the latest results have shaken that stance.

Photo: IMAGO

Despite everything, the club leadership’s trust in Kovac remains high. Internally, he is still seen as an important building block for the future and is closely involved in squad planning. Precisely for that reason, however, expectations are also rising: the coach is expected not only to deliver results in the short term, but also to give BVB’s play a clear, attractive identity while sustainably integrating young talent at the same time.

The coming weeks are therefore likely to be decisive — not only for the team’s place in the table, but also for Borussia Dortmund’s sporting development under Niko Kovac.

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