Dortmund to appoint Niko Kovac as Manager        

Dortmund to appoint Niko Kovac as Manager

wolfsburg germany niko kovac head coach of vfl wolfsburg reacts during the bundesliga match
WOLFSBURG, GERMANY – MARCH 16: Niko Kovac, Head Coach of VfL Wolfsburg reacts during the Bundesliga match between VfL Wolfsburg and FC Augsburg at Volkswagen Arena on March 16, 2024 in Wolfsburg, Germany. (Photo by Cathrin Mueller/Getty Images) (Photo by Cathrin Mueller/Getty Images)

Borussia Dortmund is set to appoint Niko Kovac as the club’s new head coach. Dortmund’s managing director of sport, Lars Ricken, confirmed reports that the club had reached an agreement with the former Frankfurt, Bayern, Monaco and Wolfsburg coach this week.

“We have reached an agreement in principle with Niko Kovac,” Ricken said to DAZN after Dortmund’s Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk (3-1). “He will take over the team on Sunday.”

That means interim coach Mike Tullberg will be in charge when Dortmund travels to Heidenheim on Saturday. Tullberg replaced Nuri Sahin, who was sacked following Dortmund’s defeat in the Champions League against Bologna (2-1).

“Mike Tullberg will be in charge of the team until Saturday and for the game as well,” Ricken said. “It was the right decision to put him in charge on an interim basis. We want to confirm that with a win over Heidenheim. I said as much to the team just now in the dressing room. Mike has done a great job, and Niko will continue it.”

Under Tullberg, Dortmund managed a 2-2 draw against Werder Bremen last weekend with a man down. Dortmund then smashed Shakhtar Donetsk on the final day of the Champions League group stage to finish tenth, one point outside the top eight that qualify directly for the round of 16.

Overall, however, the club’s primary concern hasn’t been the Champions League performances. Indeed, other than the 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid and the disappointing result against Bologna in Sahin’s final game, Dortmund met expectations in that competition.

The main reason Sahin was ultimately sacked by the club was the results in the Bundesliga. Dortmund currently sits in eleventh place with just 26 points, six points behind VfB Stuttgart, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League spot.

That Champions League spot is crucial for Dortmund, even if the club will receive significant funds from participating in next summer’s Club World Cup in the United States. Europe’s top competition has long been the backbone of Dortmund’s financial stability.

Dortmund finished outside the top four last season. However, the club reached the Champions League final, which was the main driving force behind the Bundesliga’s earning a fifth spot in the Champions League. Despite the UCL performances, however, former head coach Edin Terzic was relieved of his duties by the club and replaced by his assistant Sahin ahead of the season.

Under Sahin, however, things went from bad to worse quickly for Dortmund. The former Dortmund star player averaged just 1.48 points per game across his 27 games in charge of the club. Only 16 permanent coaches in the club’s long history had a worse record than the 36-year-old.

Now Kovac is set to come in and steady the ship, and the club bosses hope that he can guide Dortmund back up to the table and the top four.

“We all know what the table looks like,” sporting director Sebastian Kehl said after Dortmund’s game against Shakhtar in the mixed zone. “Niko and his staff are also aware of the situation. But we are all very optimistic and full of hope that over the next few weeks, we can collect enough points to piece by piece work our way up to the top.”

There is no doubt that Kovac arrives with significant experience. The German-Croatian had his biggest success with Eintracht Frankfurt, where he won the DFB Pokal in 2018. That trophy laid the foundation for Frankfurt’s resurgence throughout the next few years.

Immediately after winning the Pokal with Frankfurt by beating Bayern, Kovac joined the Rekordmeister, winning the double the following season.

His time at Bayern, however, has to be described as difficult, as he often clashed with top players and was dismissed in his second season. Kovac then trained Monaco and Wolfsburg with mixed success.

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