Kovac after four of Barca on the target of criticism, and now he is waiting for a former club: ‘BRUTALAL PAD BVB’
A heavy defeat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 on a guest appearance Barcelona In the first game of the quarterfinals of the Champions League, he echoed Europe. German media calls a Croatian expert Nika Kovac Due to tactical decisions, but he defends his moves and warns the team in front of the key challenges in the end of the season where he has to devote himself to the championship.
Faced with criticism on a surprising return to the four defenders system, after bringing him two convincing victories in the Bundesliga after a formation with five, Niko Kovac rejected the claims that the tactic was a key problem.
« It was not a problem of four or five in defense, » Kovac said, and attributed a defeat to the collective defense failure.
He justified his return to the foursome of the attacking power of Barcelona and their « world class » like Lamine Yamal, Lewandowski and Raphinhe, who were all scored.
« If you were playing standard with five Otraga, you couldn’t even reduce the pressure here, » Kovac argued.
Still, he admitted weaknesses, especially with Bek’s Julian Ryerson and Ramy Bensebaini, but also criticized the lack of support from the wing players Karim Adyeyemi and Jamie Gittens.
« Our Becks were also alone, » he defended them.
Aware of the importance of the upcoming derby against the leader of the Bundesliga and his former Bayern club, Kovac sent a clear warning to his team:
– We will defend ourselves much better and much more than today. Because without defense you will have problems and in Munich.
In German media shock and disbelief
Despite Kovac’s explanations, German media, such as influential Bildadid not save the words by describing the debacle in Barcelona. Titles such as « Brutal BVB Pad » and « Without a chance in Barcelona » dominated the reports. The Hansi Flick team was at the « second level » completely outplayed by guests from Dortmund. Particularly painful were two goals of former Borussia striker Robert Lewandowski, who thus reached a whopping 29 goals in 28 games against the former club. Player reactions further confirmed the weight of the situation.
Captain Emre Can was visibly frustrated and sharp to teammates.
– It is not the issue of the system, but whether everyone is ready to give 100 percent and to bear the victims needed in these matches – said Can, adding:
– Too many things went wrong, we didn’t play well today. We were soft. We were not cohesive enough. And on top of all, we made simple mistakes. At this level, such mistakes are sharply punished.
Support has arrived but the pressure on the blacksmith is growing
Despite the difficult defeat and criticism, Kovac received support from part of the players and sports director Sebastian Kela.
« I don’t think there was tactics, » he said.
Additional, and perhaps key, support was provided by Lars Ricken, director in Borussia Dortmund. In a press statement on the eve of the match with Barcelona, Ricken confirmed the intent of the club to continue his cooperation with Kovac and Kehl and after this, for now, disappointing season.
« That’s our clear goal, » Ricken said, speaking of « intensive cooperation » with Kehl, whose contract was extended by 2027, while Kovac had a contract by 2026.
Ricken even praised Kovac’s work on a defense plan, citing statistical information on a better ratio of defense duels and a reduced number of goals received under his lead.
However, this official support comes at the moment when the pressure of the public and the media on Kovac is huge. The 4-0 defeat in the Champions League with currently eighth place in the Bundesliga (five points away from the place he leads to the Champions League next season) creates a tense atmosphere.
The future of Nike Kovac on Borussia Bench Dortmund, despite Ricken’s words, is still not safe. German media agree that the next games, starting with a guest appearance at Bayern, will be crucial. The blacksmith must urgently find a way to raise the team, analyze the mistakes from Barcelona and implement the changes that will bring the results.
New failures, especially against the greatest rival, could further increase the pressure and question his stay, regardless of the current support of the administration. The return against Barcelona seems like an impossible mission, but a good game and a positive result in Munich could at least temporarily calm down passions and buy blacksmith a valuable time. There are difficult days before the Croatian expert in which he has to prove that he is able to draw Borussia out of the crisis.
