Saturday's win over Hoffenheim was special in more ways than one for Borussia Dortmund. For starters, they valiantly fought back a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 in the road and keep their unbeaten record in the new Bundesliga season intact. But on the dugout, head coach Niko Kovac was quitely celebrating a personal milestone.
He just oversaw his 50th Bundesliga game with Dortmund since taking over in February 2025, and must have been delighted to see his team mark the occasion with a memorable win too. It solidified his spectacular record as the manager, picking up his 33rd top-flight win during the run.
It's not only a good return on paper, Kovac in fact boasts the best result of any of his predecessor who has taken charge of 50 games. His points-per-game average of 2.14 eclipses even that of Thomas Tuchel (2.09), Lucien Favre (2.08), Marco Rose (2.03), Jurgen Klopp (1.91) and Ottmar Hitzfeld (1.86) in the club's all-time rankings.
There's no denying that Kovac has indeed made a big impact since taking over, especially as Dortmund were struggling with mid-table mediocrity when he arrived. Their fortunes didn't change instantly though, with the former Croatian international losing his first two games in-charge, but a strong finish to the season meant the BVB were able to clinch Champions League football by the end of it.
Fans had every reason to be hopeful the following season, with dreams of a first Meisterschale since 2012 looking real for the first time in years. But what followed was a disappointing concoction of inconsistency, defensive frailties and missed opportunities. Sure, many new milestones were set, with Dortmund achieving their highest finish since 2023 and recording their highest points-tally in seven years too.
But in the larger scheme of things, those were nothing but mere consolation after finishing behind Bayern Munich again. And by a good 16 points at that. Despite a relatively strong run, the BVB were no match for the Bavarians, who seemed like a well-oiled unit again under Vincent Kompany.
Things look a bit different so far in 2026-27 season though. Die Borussen couldn't help themselves from going down against Bayern in the Supercup last month, but have recovered spectacularly to win their next three, including the improbable Hoffenheim conquest.
Besides the raft of new players, the club also seems to have imbibed a steelier mentality, which went missing on numerous occasions last time. The summer signings have added a new dimension to their play, while old guards such as Serhou Guirassy and Fabio Silva are firing on all cylinders again.
So far, so good. But Kovac needs to deliver the trophies. We can't be celebrating small milestones such as most points or most wins for too long. No one remembers it after a while either. What goes into history books are the medals; the silverware which have deserted Dortmund since 2021, an unusually long dry spell in recent history.
So while Kovac boasts good numbers in his Dortmund tenure, he should be able to turn this early momentum into something big and worthwhile. He now has the squad required to compete seriously on all fronts. Titles and trophies are a must now. Without them, the win percentage, the points, and everything else just feels hollow.
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