Every German football feel-good story requires some sort of Wendepunkt (“turning point”). In the case of Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac, it arrived in the middle of a lackluster effort at RB Leipzig on March 15. BVB went on to lose 2-0, an emphatic defeat against a direct rival for a European place, and one that left die Schwarz-Gelben seemingly stranded in 11th place with only eight weeks left in the season.
For Kovac, it was an ignominious fourth reverse in six Bundesliga matches since taking over the reins of a club searching to make something stick.
Despite the defeat in the East, Kovac switched the formation at halftime to one featuring a Dreierkette (“back three”), which better suited the squad at his disposal, bringing greater stability. Little did we know we were watching the start of a noticeable BVB metamorphosis under a coach with bags of top-level experience and know-how, yet was somehow viewed as something of an underwhelming journeyman.
At first, it appeared to be a short-term arrangement that could get Dortmund through until the end of a perplexing campaign. However, from the depths of despair, Kovac’s team rocketed to the heights of ecstasy as they went on a fabulous run of seven wins and one draw (away to champions Bayern Munich) to clinch not only a European spot, but UEFA Champions League football on the final day, no less.
On Saturday, BVB’s opponents are Leipzig, against whom Kovac first put that important defensive Baustein (“building block”) in place back in early spring. Strangely enough, Dortmund’s March loss at the Red Bull Arena was no portent of what was to come with Leipzig ultimately missing out on continental competition for the first time since becoming a Bundesliga club in 2016.
Now both teams find themselves cast in the role of Bayern-Jäger (“Bayern hunters”).
– Stream LIVE: Dortmund vs. Leipzig, Saturday, 9:20 a.m. ET, ESPN+
This Verfolgerduell (“duel of pursuers”) comes at an interesting time for Dortmund, who have succeeded in getting most things right so far this season. It’s not just the results, but the parsimony that catches the eye.
Kovac, who’s known for discipline, fitness and an emphasis on solidity, has overseen a team that has strung together four successive league wins, all weisse Westen (“clean sheets”) to boot. Never in club history have the men in black and yellow recorded five Bundesliga victories in a row without conceding.
Now, you can make the case that these early-season league successes have come predominantly against teams residing in the wrong half of the table, but recent Dortmund incarnations have not cleared such apparently innocuous hurdles with ease. What’s more, the eye test confirms that there is a Zusammenhalt (“togetherness”) on the pitch. There is no sense that this is a team full of disconnected component parts.
What grabs you most of all is the consistency from game to game. This applies to virtually everyone playing regularly in what is by design a younger and leaner squad than previously assembled. Kovac is known for splitting up his team into “unit groups” in training sessions at team headquarters in Brackel, but it’s clear the team ethos underpins what BVB are attempting to do under his aegis.
Keeper Gregor Kobel is enjoying a commanding start to the campaign. Waldemar Anton, for me, did especially well when he — due to injuries around him — had to be the defensive chief with essentially fullback types next to him. All that has changed with the return of Nico Schlotterbeck after six months on the sidelines due to a knee problem, adding to the mix.
Schlotterbeck offers variety in the Aufbau (“build-up”) department with his impressive range of passes with the left foot. Oddly, Ramy Bensebaini, a natural at left back, is prospering on the left prong of the Dreierkette.
The wingbacks — especially Daniel Svensson, who runs nonstop and has scored two goals in the past two competitive matches — fit the formula, and likewise the versatile Julian Ryerson and Yan Couto, who has improved after a difficult first season in the Ruhrpott.
On paper, central midfield looks unspectacular but Felix Nmecha and Marcel Sabitzer provide legs and energy, and there is an abundance of cover with Jobe Bellingham (although he is yet to get in a groove), Pascal Gross, Carney Chukwuemeka and of course Julian Brandt.
On Saturday in Mainz, Brandt was due to start on the bench, but a late decision to withdraw Serhou Guirassy created a place for the enigmatic 29-year-old playmaker, and he responded with a sparkling two-assist performance. Guirassy, with his physical presence and nose for goal, will remain the fulcrum of the Dortmund attack, but the productive story of the past couple of Bundesliga matches has been the jet-heeled Karim Adeyemi.
There can’t be more entertaining players to watch anywhere in the world at the moment. Adeyemi, with his pace and confidence, turned the Mainz game into his own personal show just a week on from settling the issue against VfL Wolfsburg with a far-out thumper of a goal.
And we can’t forget Maximilian Beier, who is hitting his stride in his second season with the club.
I must say I’m enjoying Dortmund again. They might not quite be at Bayern’s level, but there is much to admire about how Kovac has taken on an underperforming group of footballers and made them significantly better as a collective.
The question is, can Kovac and his players pass the October test? Leipzig at home and Bayern away will tell us a lot about BVB and their credentials.
