Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač: 'We are the hunted'
Borussia Dortmund are the early season pacesetters in Germany's top division with a 100 per cent record after the opening four games. The Bundesliga sat down for an exclusive interview with head coach Niko Kovač to delve into his team’s sizzling current form and chart his path from growing up in Berlin to the BVB dugout.
Bundesliga: Four games, four wins in the Bundesliga, and another in the UEFA Champions League. There have also been a few close ones. What are the reasons that they ended up being won, which wasn't always the case in the past in such close games?
Niko Kovač: "In the time that I've been there, which is all I can assess, a team has developed that understands what we want in possession, but also, of course, in possession against the opponent. We have really made a good jump from 11th to fourth to second. And currently we are where we are.
"The unity here at the club is very strong, and I'm not only talking about that when I talk about the players, but I'm talking about the staff. I'm talking about the board members. I'm talking about the people who are in charge here at the club. In my opinion, it is much calmer. And that helps to ultimately go in the right direction.
"And we have many talented players who want to achieve something, who want to leave a footprint. And the continuity, that is important, that you improve step by step. Yes, you need time, you don't really have that much time in our business, but it can help. We've seen that in the past with many good teams. And I hope that we will see that here in Dortmund as well."
Watch: Dortmund made it four from four in Stuttgart
Bundesliga: Is this perhaps, right now, the most satisfying period sportingly for you at BVB?
Kovač: "It's also the most dangerous period. Because when you are satisfied, that can quickly lead to you letting up, that you don't lose sight of the big percentage points, but the small ones. And in our business and at the level where the air is so thin, the small things are the decisive points that then drift somewhere to the left or right.
"That's why we have to remain sharp. We have to remain, of course, focused, because the others are the hunters at the moment. We are the hunted. And that means we really have to continue working consistently well."
Bundesliga: Is that perhaps even what best describes you as a coach? Paying attention to the small things, to the details? Maxi Beier was sitting here just now and said that.
Kovač: "Yes, I'm sure that many coaches work in exactly the same way. So this isn't a unique selling point of mine, but all coaches do it. Nowadays there are so many tools that you can work with, because you want to give the players the maximum amount of information. Of course compressed, but in such a way that they can work with everything.
"That's something I like, because I like dealing with football. I want to give my boys everything they need, so that they aren't overloaded, but nevertheless have everything they need to be prepared for the game at the weekend."
Bundesliga: You mentioned the unity within the club. A few contracts have now been extended by the bosses. Reports indicate that an extension for you is also just a formality, if you want it.
Kovač: "Yes, first of all I'm happy that Carsten [Cramer], that Thomas [Treß], Lars [Ricken] have extended their contracts long-term, because continuity is important and the three people mentioned have done very good work. And the reward is of course very clear.
"We are in discussions. We will certainly discuss everything over the next few weeks. But for me, first of all, after the long international break, it's about getting back into our stride as quickly as possible, getting back into the rhythm we had before as quickly as possible. Because, as I said earlier, we have to be careful. We have to remain concentrated and focused."
Bundesliga: Your father worked as a carpenter. Your mother as a cleaner. Is that right? If you speak about hard work today, how much of that time is still in you?
Kovač: "A lot. Ultimately, we were new German migrant children. My parents came to Germany in 1970. I was born in '71 and we grew up in a time that was very nice. It was carefree, but of course it was shaped by integration, by hard work, by modesty, by restraint.
"And I know today, and I'm probably not the only one, that childhood does shape people. And I believe that my childhood, our childhood, shaped both of us, my brother, but also my sister, our sister, as well. And I'm also very, very happy that I was able to enjoy such a childhood, because I do believe that this is important in today's time."
Bundesliga: You said once that as a child you learned early on what it means to go without things, what it means to share. What do you take with you into a coaching career from a time like that and from such experiences?
Kovač: "Back then there weren't as many things, as many nice things as there are now. But there was also little money. You couldn't have everything in the department store. Of course, as a little kid you walk past the toys, you'd like to have everything. But you can't. And sharing, of course, when you have a brother and a sister, then you have to share as well. That's part of life.
"As I said, it shapes you. And certain things can also be implemented in our sport. And that's why I'm very happy about what I was able to learn. I grew up in a place where many different cultures, many different religions lived together. I do believe that this also helped us personally to ultimately understand other cultures. And that's why, my childhood, our childhood, was absolutely fulfilling."
Bundesliga: You were brought up in a multicultural environment, and we can draw parallels with a football dressing room where different cultures, different religions are all present. In what kind of situations do you perhaps feel these experiences when speaking personally with players or others?
Kovač: "You have to understand how different cultures, different religions also tick. We're not all the same. That means when you speak to players, then it's different whether you're speaking to a Central European or an African or a Southerner, because there are different emotions that you also have to absorb.
"And I do believe that we, or I in this case, when I say we, my brother as well, we know what it means to think German, we know what it means to grow up in Germany. But we also know what it means to grow up as a child of migrants, or rather, to understand other cultures as well. So I am of the opinion that this helps us immensely, that we both have it. And in today's times you need both more than ever."
