Following the 1-0 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, some fans have expressed their doubts about Niko Kovac being the right coach for the team. A week earlier the team didn’t play well but came away with all three points against Stuttgart. However, when a rigid tactical approach fails to deliver results, fan discontent is inevitable.
In the big games this season BVB has failed to show up. The reason has been a mix of poor game plan as well as the squad being not up to the desired standard. For instance BVB didn’t manage to get a foothold in any of the games against Bayern and lost both. Despite showing some fighting spirit in the recent 3-2 loss, it was the same story at the end of the day.
In addition to that the club failed to progress to the last 16 of the Champions League, having failed to go past Atalanta, who overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit to prevail 4-1 at home in the return. Atalanta lost 10-2 on aggregate to Bayern in the next round and that was a huge predicament for Borussia Dortmund.
The Black and Yellows seem to struggle when going against opposition that matches their talent or is superior. In the Champions League league phase, they lost games against Manchester City, Inter Milan and an out of form Tottenham Hotspur side which was in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Borussia Dortmund are traditionally known for playing good attractive football but that hasn’t been the case under Kovac. The team usually fails to take control of games and go on the front foot. The side is also becoming more reliant on crosses and set pieces. This is not what the Dortmund faithful are used to under previous successful managers.
With the appointment of Nils-Ole Book as the new Sporting Director, change in the managerial position is to be expected. And in reality Dortmund would be better off parting ways with Kovac. Granted he has stabilized the team and helped them qualify for the Champions League after succeeding Nuri Sahin last season. But he failed to take the team to the next step this season having failed in both the Champions League and DFB Pokal. The second placed position in the league table should flatter no one as BVB is 12 points behind Bayern. Finishing second is something the club needs to look past.
Borussia Dortmund last won a trophy in 2021, a DFB Pokal triumph under Edin Terzic. Since then the club has come close to winning the league title in 2023, losing the title on the last match day after drawing with Mainz. In 2024 the team reached the Champions League final before losing 2-0 to record champions Real Madrid. In all of those runs there was genuine excitement in the team. However, the current crop of players offer no excitement and lack the quality needed to challenge for and win trophies.
Ole Book’s introduction is the start of something new at Borussia Dortmund. The club is expected to be bold and adventurous in the transfer market. He also prioritizes attacking football. But the homework should start from hiring the right coach to lead the club forward.
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