Football Bundesliga: Kovac did the turn – BVB has it in his own hand

The initial doubts were entirely justified. When Niko Kovac became head coach of Borussia Dortmund in early February, the club initially went down. Four defeats from his first six Bundesliga games and the crash to eleventh place – nobody spoke of the Champions League in Dortmund. A good three months later and a balance of six wins from the last seven Bundesliga games, the 53-year-old can now put on the donation pants.

He wanted to “issue one” after the qualification for the premier class. Kovac promised that after the 4-2 at the emaciated master Bayer Leverkusen.

Another step to the premier class

And BVB has it in its own hands. The constellation of the next game day means that with Freiburg (55 points) and Frankfurt (57) two immediate competitors compete against each other. Dortmund (54) cannot be obtained in the home game against Holstein Kiel with a win with three goals difference, probably two goals are probably enough. “The team is really in a good mood. We have to take this one step now,” says Kovac.

The secret for the upswing? Kovac made legs to the players. “He kicked us in the ass,” said BVB striker Karim Adeyemi and said: “He got us going. He was hard from the start, doesn’t allow much. This is exactly what we need,” said Adeyemi, who recently had three goals from two games in two games. “It was difficult at the beginning. But it helped me, I feel fitter,” said the U21 European champion from 2021.

Kobel holds the victory

At least on Sunday, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was also a guarantee of victory. The BVB goalkeeper showed one of his best games and had the Leverkusen strikers, who awarded the chance for chance. He also benefited from the change of coach – although he doesn’t have to run as much as the field players.

“I tried to give him the trust. For me it is important that a goalkeeper wins points for the team. He did that very well,” said the Dortmund coach, and immediately pushed after Kobel’s greatest shortcoming: “We don’t have to turn a goalkeeper a field player. For me it is important that he holds the balls.”

Kehl praises the development

Sports director Sebastian Kehl also praised the work of the trainer in the past few weeks. “I always believed that we can play better and more successful football. The team has taken a huge step forward. Now we have our final against Kiel,” said the 45-year-old.

Goalkeeper Kobel naturally hopes for less work in the last game than in Leverkusen, where he had to save several times. But the keeper also warns of an evil awakening like two years ago when BVB played the championship with a 2-2 against Mainz on the last match day. “The pressure is definitely with us because Kiel can play freely. It will be a very difficult game for which we have to prepare well,” said Kobel before the game against the relegated team.