"You can't change everything within a week," said Kovač in pregame press conference

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·6 Februari 2025

"You can't change everything within a week," said Kovač in pregame press conference

During his first pre-match press conference, new Dortmund manager Niko Kovač offered some great quotes about Saturday's home match against Stuttgart. He talked about his first few days as a BVB coach and how tiring but exciting it is to start managing a club like Borussia Dortmund.

"The first week was very intense, I have to say that clearly. We first have to get to know everything. Lots of new faces, lots of new names. BVB is a big club. We have been very, very well received. We want to take this feeling with us over the next few weeks."Niko Kovač

Kovač also discussed the matchup against Stuttgart at Signal Iduna Park. With Dortmund in eleventh and Stuttgart in fifth place, the Black-and-Yellows need a win at home to get closer to the top-four race. Despite being in the table's bottom half, BVB is only three points away from Sebastian Hoeneß's Stuttgart, which makes it popularly known as a "six-point match." As Stuttgart already beat Dortmund by 5-1 in this Bundesliga edition, Kovač emphasized the mental aspect of this match.

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"We can expect a very, very difficult game. They (Stuttgart) have developed very well under Sebastian Hoeneß. They disrupt the opposition very early on. We will be challenged from the first to the last minute and have to be mentally there."Niko Kovač

In tactical terms, Kovač said he will try to keep things "simple" once it will be hard, and even unrealistic, to impose his style of play with just one week in. He highlighted the importance of working the possession and chance-creating as he attempts to slowly implement his tactical concepts and mindset. His go-to principles will undoubtedly be intensity and direct play in transitions, which will require a lot of effort and trust from the players' side.

"We tried to keep it relatively simple. We worked on a few things. Ball possession is very important. But we have to increase the likelihood of creating chances."Niko Kovač

However, the Croatian is convinced that it will not be a quick process, even though the Dortmund players desperately need to prove themselves in front of the Yellow Wall. In fact, it would be unfair to judge Kovač based on one performance with such a short period of training. At the same time, he will be judged based on the players' behavior while assimilating his "mentality" and how he can turn a problematic scenario into a so-needed win for the Black-and-Yellows. The answer could be as effortless as his motto: