Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac has drawn comparisons with one of his notable predecessors Jurgen Klopp while hitting back at critics.
The Croatian manager defended his style of play at the club while highlighting their attractive attacking style of football that vew few clubs in the Bundesliga could match.
In his first full season in charge of the club, Dortmund have accumulated 67 points from 31 games, behind only champions Bayern Munich (82) on the table.
But Kovac has still garnered criticism for his team's sloppy play some times which saw Dortmund concede cheap goals and relying on late heroics to get them through.
The manager though, has defended his style with aplomb.
""Of course, the expectations at Borussia Dortmund are significantly higher than at the other 16 Bundesliga clubs. I ask you: who – apart from Bayern Munich – consistently plays attractive football in the Bundesliga? And is attractiveness more important than success?""asked Kovac
Dortmund are on course for their best finish to a league season in three years, but it wasn't without its flaws as the side dropped points from winning positions on several occasions. Moreover, against teams residing in the lower rungs of the league table, Dortmund have been found wanting, while their record against the top sides wasn't the best either.
Kovac emphasized the difficulty of maintaining a high-level of attacking game week in, week out while asserting that inspite of all the problems, Dortmund have contested some memorable clashes that have served the neutrals a treat.
""You have to realise that the Bundesliga isn't a theatre stage where every performance goes the same way; a lot of it is unpredictable. Hardly any club offers its fans four goals and attacking spectacle every week. I think we've certainly put on some very good and entertaining matches this season." "added the Croatian manager
Dortmund boast the best attacking record in the division after only Bayern with 65 goals scored in 31 games, while conceding only 31 times, lower than any team in the Bundesliga right now.
While it wasn't enough to fetch them the Meisterschale, Kovac urged patience, pointing out that even Klopp, who won five titles at the club, took some time before picked up his first silverware with the side.
""Jürgen Klopp also needed three years as coach here before winning his first league title.""said Kovac
Klopp was unveiled as the Dortmund head coach in July 2008 and won the first of his two Bundesliga titles with the club in 2011, almost three years later.
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