Because of Groß: BVB boss Kovac puzzled by Nagelsmann | OneFootball

Niko Kovac is surprised by Pascal Groß's exclusion from the DFB squad. Despite limited playing time at BVB, the coach supports his experienced midfielder.

Borussia Dortmund is experiencing successful weeks in sports, and this is reflected in the national team nominations. For the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg (October 10) and Northern Ireland (October 13), national coach Julian Nagelsmann called up five BVB players: Nico Schlotterbeck, Waldemar Anton, Felix Nmecha, Karim Adeyemi, and Maximilian Beier. This makes Dortmund, along with FC Bayern Munich, the largest contingent in the DFB squad.

However, one is missing: Pascal Groß. The midfielder was still in the starting lineup in the last international match against Northern Ireland (3:1) in September, but this time he is left out. For coach Niko Kovac, this comes unexpectedly. "For me, it is a bit surprising that he is not included, but that is the decision of the national coach," he said at the press conference on Thursday.

However, Groß is also going through a challenging phase at BVB. In recent weeks, he did not play at all against Athletic Bilbao and VfL Wolfsburg, and in the 2-0 victory in Mainz, he only played for 13 minutes.

BVB Coach Kovac puzzled by Groß's exclusion from DFB

There is plenty of competition in midfield: Felix Nmecha and Marcel Sabitzer are currently established, and Jobe Bellingham and Carney Chukwuemeka have recently been given opportunities.

Kovac does not want this to be seen as a weakness of his veteran. "Pascal is not lacking anything," he clarified. "The performance level is quite high at the moment. Since we are very successful, it is difficult for some. We will have many games now. But I know that Pascal has the same qualities as all our midfielders. Those who are playing right now are doing a great job."

The BVB coach made it clear that he plans to give every player playing time in the coming weeks – and explicitly included Groß. Given the upcoming busy weeks, the midfielder is likely to play more frequently.

So, for now, the non-nomination is a setback for the 34-year-old. However, at BVB, his coach is convinced that Pascal Groß will continue to play an important role – even if the competition is currently getting more opportunities.

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