Borussia Dortmund hosted Holsten Kein in their final matchday of the Bundesliga’s 2024-2025 season. The Black and Yellows has gained momentum in recent weeks, and knew they needed to win by a two-goal margin to guarantee a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League. BVB did just that and more as they strode past Keil 3-0.
Serhous Guirassy opened the scoring through an early Penalty Kick after Carl Johansson brought down Felix Nmecha inside the box. Johansson was sent off, but BVB couldn’t find another goal the rest of the half.
It was the second half which saw Marcel Sabitzer double Dortmund’s lead. The Austrian has returned from injury and scored his first league goal of the campaign. The Game was later put to bed by Felix Nmecha who scored the third and final goal.
For such a trying season, the Black and Yellows certainly made the conclusion exciting. Thanks for following along all season, and we’ll be back with more Takeaways during the Club World Cup. Until then, here are my three biggest takeaways from the 3-0 win.
Champions League Football is returning to Dortmund
Back in February, when BVB were in 11th place and dropping points every weekend, it would have been easy to accept this club was going to go without European football. That’s a tough pill to swallow, but given the context of how everyone was playing, the erratic and confusing tactics, and the strong form of Bundesliga rivals, a Top-Six finish seemed unobtainable. I love this team, but I did not have any faith they would reach Europe.
How wrong I was! Dortmund’s run of form to finish the season was near impeccable as they earned 22 points from their last eight games, only drawing at Bayern Munich. Even that match was winnable. We had to rely on dropped points elsewhere, but with consistent victories came a consistent rise up the league table. With UCL football next season, it will be much easier to retain our best players and recruit future stars.
Niko Kovač has earned my respect
I’ll be first to admit that I thought the initial appointment of Niko Kovač was a poor decision. Nuri Sahin needed to go, but I wanted to see someone reliable, with a strong track record of success. By my estimate, Kovač had been performing worse at each consecutive managerial role he took. Kovač’s Wolfsburg squad was especially dreadful to watch.
I accepted Kovač, and understood how he could stabilize the team, but early performances indicated numerous tactical deficiencies, and after his first month in charge, BVB looked to have barely improved. But as he settled and got to know the players, I started seeing a different side of the Croatian.
Too long has nepotism defined BVB’s heierarchy. Kovač’s is a no-nonsense manager who won’t put up with nepotism, and that’s exactly the type of personality we needed to save the season. Kovač switched to a back-three, wasn’t afraid to bench players who weren’t giving it their all, and he delivered press conference responses honestly, without hiding behind excuses.
When Niko Kovač took over in February, Borussia Dortmund were in the worst form of any team in the league. By the middle of May, Borussia Dortmund was in better form than any other team in the league. Niko, I’m sorry I doubted you. You have my full confidence going into next season. You deserve that much.
This Rückrunde was as much a redemption arc for Borussia Dortmund as it was for Niko Kovač.
The players were never the problem
If you only watched Nuri Sahin’s Dortmund this season, you might believe half of the squad should be playing in the amateur divisions. But the late resurgence of certain players has shed some new light on the situation. Julian Brandt, while he player atrociously at times, was one of Dortmund’s most influential players in the season’s conclusion. He finished the season with more Goals + Assists than Bayern’s Jamal Musial, Serge Gnabry, and Joshua Kimmich.
The Back line, especially Waldemar Anton and Niklas Sule, have looked like brand new players under Niko Kovač. Karim Adeyemi has somehow played more minutes and avoided injury, while Maxi Beier was finally allowed to play in his preferred position, a move which saw him score and assist several. Even Marcel Sabitzer returned from injury and gave us a few great performances late in the season.
Football is a team sport, but I believe we’ve been too harsh on our players this season. Criticism for poor performances can be warranted, but I think Borussia Dortmund’s problems this season had much more to do with management on and off the pitch.
With a competent manager, we know what these players can do.