What do Thomas Tuchel, Peter Bosz, Peter Stöger, Lucien Favre, Marco Rose, Edin Terzic and Nuri Sahin have in common with each other? They all coached BVB after a certain Jürgen Klopp said goodbye in the summer of 2015. Most of them were quite successful: Tuchel won the DFB Cup, and under him Dortmund scored an average of 2.09 points per Bundesliga game. Favre (2.08) was close on his heels. Terzic also led BVB to a cup victory and to the 2024 Champions League final.
And yet they had no chance in one category: the eternal and annoying comparison with Klopp, who was hired with every new coach in Dortmund. Of course, no one came close to the cult-revered current national coach: not in terms of footballing ideas - but especially not in terms of personality. How could they?
Niko Kovac can hardly be compared to Klopp either. Kovac places much more emphasis on defensive stability and values the experience of players much more. He didn't necessarily stand for innovation and offensiveness - at least his reputation preceded him when he arrived in February 2025 - rather for bone-dry pragmatism. Not every BVB fan liked (and still likes) that. But with results, Kovac has largely silenced his critics.
Mentality debates at BVB? That was yesterday
In his first season he led Dortmund into the Champions League in a brilliant final spurt. This was important for economic reasons. In his second year, his first full season, Dortmund reclaimed second place behind Bayern. This was of enormous importance for the self-image of this proud club.
Kovac has managed to get BVB respected again. Mentality debates? That was yesterday. The team is fit, robust and generally uncomfortable for opponents to play against - although there was hardly any time for extensive athletic work in the two pre-season preparations that Kovac completed last summer and the summer before last. But Kovac is actually an old-school coach: He knows that athleticism isn't everything - but also that it is the basis for everything. Younger trainers often have different priorities.
In the current season, BVB wants to expand its spectrum: the team should once again stand for attractiveness and spectacle. Critics said that wasn't possible with Kovac. But the evidence suggests that they could be wrong: Kovac is bringing in creative players like Konstantinos Karetsas and Ethan Nwanery. Talents like Joane Gadou and Mathis Albert also have or will get opportunities - provided they are mature enough to behave in such a way that they do not endanger the balance.
The extension of the collaboration between BVB and this coach until 2029 is therefore not only logical - but also a reason to congratulate. Kovac, because he has the opportunity to refute the prejudices that have accompanied him for years - and BVB, because in the long term he will again have a coach who suits the club. Even if many people didn't want to believe this for a long time.
It remains to be seen whether the common path will lead to BVB becoming German champions again. That depends primarily on whether Bayern will remain as dominant in the long term as they have been in the past two years. But if we're honest, that was the crucial question even in the Klopp era, when Dortmund won the cup in 2011 and 2012.
Speaking of Klopp: He averaged 1.91 points in his seven years at Dortmund. Kovac managed 2.15 points in 53 Bundesliga games. In terms of points average, he is the most successful BVB coach of all time. What's still missing are titles. At least it is not out of the question that they will be won in the coming years.
