Dortmund’s next title-winning manager? BVB adviser Sammer hails Kovac | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund stands firmly behind coach Niko Kovac despite criticism and fluctuating results. Club advisor Matthias Sammer even praises the coach as a potential title-winning manager for BVB.

Despite recent mixed results and ongoing discussions about Borussia Dortmund’s style of play, Matthias Sammer is clearly backing coach Niko Kovac. The BVB advisor sees much more in the Croatian than just a temporary solution—in fact, he believes Kovac is a coach who could even bring a title to the club in the long run.

“Definitely,” Kovac is a title-winning coach for BVB, Sammer emphasized in an interview with Sport Bild. A statement that carries weight, as the mood around the club has been anything but euphoric in recent weeks. Before the winter break, Dortmund won only four of their last ten competitive matches, suffered bitter draws in the league and Champions League, and also crashed out of the DFB-Pokal against Bayer Leverkusen.

Nevertheless, Sammer points to a development that, in his opinion, is overlooked in the general mood. “The matches we only drew, we would have lost in the past. Especially in first halves of the season,” explained the former national player, making it clear that he sees progress more in the results than in the style of play.

Top Four as the Minimum Goal: Sammer’s Realistic Assessment of BVB

Sammer considers the frequently expressed criticism of Kovac’s supposedly unattractive football to be of secondary importance. For him, sporting results are what matter most. “We should look at what Niko has actually improved: fewer goals conceded, more goals scored. Better physicality, better spirit,” said the 58-year-old, drawing comparisons to former successful coaches like Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jupp Heynckes, or Carlo Ancelotti—all managers not necessarily known for spectacular football, but for sustainable success.

Kovac took over BVB in February 2025 during a difficult phase and, despite a false start, still led the team into the Champions League. Currently, Dortmund sits second in the Bundesliga, albeit with a significant gap to leaders Bayern Munich. For Sammer, however, this is no reason for resignation, but rather a foundation to build upon.

“At the moment, Dortmund is certainly good enough to finish in the top four of the league,” he explained. But that’s not all: Sammer even believes the team under Kovac can take another step forward. It’s about “creating excitement, joy, and a certain discomfort for opponents, in order to put the finishing touch on things.”

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