Kovač: Dortmund Players Must Give Their Best Effort
Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač has stated that his team’s performance is not entirely negative despite two consecutive defeats in the Bundesliga. However, players must regain their confidence through victories, especially ahead of their UEFA Champions League playoff second-leg match against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.
Dortmund lost 2-0 to Bochum on Saturday, marking their second straight league defeat under Kovač. This result dropped the team to 11th place, just days after securing a 3-0 first-leg win over Sporting in Lisbon last week.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday before the decisive match for a spot in the Round of 16, Kovač said:
“The job is not done yet. We’ve only played the first half of this tie. As a coach, my role is to instill confidence in the players.”
He added:
“Confidence comes from good training, strong results, and victories. While I focus on results, I also see the positives in our play. We need to build on those in matches. The players have great quality, but right now, mentality plays a crucial role.”
Kovač took over the team a few weeks ago to revive their campaign, but apart from their first-leg win over Sporting, last season’s Champions League runners-up are at risk of missing out on next year’s tournament.
Dortmund are currently eight points behind fourth place—the final Champions League qualification spot—in the Bundesliga standings.
Some of the goals they have conceded in recent matches, including against Bochum, resulted from individual errors that allowed opponents to score.
Kovač commented:
“We’ve let opponents run freely toward our goal three times in recent matches. We need to eliminate these mistakes.”
He continued:
“It’s all about mindset—clearing and resetting the players’ focus. Hard training and winning matches will help strengthen their mentality. We’re not foolish enough to say this tie is already decided. We have to play at full strength. In the Champions League, you cannot perform at only 50% effort.”
