Bayern Munich and Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has heaped praise on Niko Kovac for his impact on the club this season after the side pulled off yet another victory in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Die Borussen beat Stuttgart 2-0 at the MHP Arena as substitutes Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt netted apiece in stoppage-time to break the home side's resistance and pick up their first victory in the fixture since 2022.
With 64 points in the bag from 28 games, Dortmund took another step closer to nailing down the runners-up spot and achieving a qualification to the Champions League as RB Leipzig and Stuttgart are 11 points behind them in third and fourth, respectively.
Matthaus, who captained West Germany to the 1990 FIFA World Cup and a rival to Dortmund during his club career, heaped praise on them for their impressive season under Kovac while saying they should be proud of it.
"“I think that BVB can be proud of this Bundesliga season and proud of these 13 or 14 months with Niko Kovac. How they extricated themselves from the situation and sensationally achieved a minimal target last year.”"said the 65-year-old
Their tally of 64 points after 28 games is the best for a second-placed side in the Bundesliga history after Dortmund themselves in 2015-16 season (67 points).
Now that's a testament to their phenomenal run in the league this season, while losing only twice - both against Bayern Munich. For the record, it's their lowest number of defeats at this stage of the campaign since 1966.
But somehow, Dortmund remain nine points behind leaders Bayern, who are well on course towards defending their league crown. If it wasn't for the former's propensity to drop points in easier games, the race would have been much closer.
On four occasions this season, Kovac's side dropped points from a winning position after conceding late on. They also lost to Bayern last month after shipping in the winning goal in the 87th-minute.
If Dortmund were to seriously mount a closer title challenge, then such defensive lapses need to be addressed. But for now, a second place remains their objective.
Even though a draw would have kept them there, Kovac's substitutions paid off as the side put more daylight between them and the next two sides in the top-four. Matthaus hailed the Croatian for this.
"“His tactics have worked brilliantly again today”"said Matthaus
Borussia Dortmund return to action on Saturday, 11 April against Bayer Leverkusen at the Signal Iduna Park.