Borussia Dortmund's Maximilian Beier: 'We want to take that extra step this season'
Borussia Dortmund recorded their biggest points haul since 2018/19 last season as they finished runners-up to Bayern Munich, but Maximilian Beier is convinced there is plenty more to come from Niko Kovač’s effervescent side this term.
In an exclusive interview with the Bundesliga, Beier talks about his relationship with Dortmund head coach Kovač, Borussia’s positive start to the season, their summer recruitment, and the Halloween Klassiker against Vincent Kompany’s charges…
Bundesliga: Maxi, you were ‘working from home’ during the international break, as your head coach recently put it. What did you make of that, as a professional footballer?
Maximilian Beier: “I obviously enjoyed the time off because we have a few demanding weeks coming up. If I unexpectedly get a few days off, even if it’s not by choice, I’m obviously grateful for that.”
Bundesliga: Looking at the mid to long term, did it actually do your body a lot of good?
Beier: “Yes, definitely. I really enjoyed the time off I was given.”
Bundesliga: You then spent some time training with the Under-23s. How did you approach that?
Beier: “I joined up with them on the Tuesday. We trained on Wednesday and Thursday, but the U23s unfortunately had Tuesday off, so [Marcel] Sabitzer and I trained together. I do enjoy training in a bigger group and having more people around me.”
Bundesliga: You have two assists and one goal in the Bundesliga so far this season. Things haven’t been going too badly for you personally.
Beier: “I’m happy with that. It’s a good start.”
Bundesliga: You’ve been used in a lot of different positions lately, which was also a big talking point over the summer. Did it take you some time to get used to that?
Beier: “Obviously, I’m an attacking player by trade. I’ve had very open discussions with the coach, and we get along very well. He also knows that I prefer to play in my natural position, but if he needs me elsewhere, I’m very happy to play there as well.”
Bundesliga: There has been a lot of talk recently about Dortmund’s attacking play. How would you compare it to last season?
Beier: “I don’t know exactly how many goals we’ve scored this season. Three against Hoffenheim and one against Stuttgart? Two against Hamburg? It’s a difficult question to answer. We’re scoring at least one or two goals per game. As long as we keep clean sheets at the other end, which we’ve done quite often in recent games, things are looking pretty good.”
Watch: Dortmund 2-0 Hamburg - highlights
Bundesliga: Would you say there’s more flexibility in the way you play? Do you have more options in attack now? Bringing new players in obviously changes the way a team plays…
Beier: “Yes, I think we’ve recruited very well in attack this summer. We brought in Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias, who is injured at the moment but also brings enormous quality. Joey Veerman brings a lot of composure to our attack and distributes the ball well. We’ve made some very strong signings.
“You can definitely feel the difference. One thing that stood out to me was the game in Stuttgart. Dortmund often struggle there, but I thought we played really well and deserved to win.”
Bundesliga: Let’s talk a little about Niko Kovač. Would you say he has developed a slightly different playing style over the past few months? Or has it not really changed that much?
Beier: “Compared to last year, I’d say we’ve taken another step forward in our attacking play. Defensively, we were also very compact last season and kept a clean sheet in a lot of our victories. I’d say that it hasn’t changed much – we’ve maintained our approach. We want to continue on the same path.”
Bundesliga: You’ve often said that you have a good relationship and speak to each other a lot. Is there one particular conversation that stands out? One that shows the kind of person he is?
Beier: “I wasn’t called up [by Germany] in October last year, and I wasn’t called up this time either. He spoke to me a lot in those moments and made me feel good about the situation. Those conversations have stayed with me.”
Bundesliga: He also clearly sets great store by discipline and hard work…
Beier: “He places a lot of emphasis on small details. He values those a lot.”
Bundesliga: A few close games have gone your way recently, both in the Bundesliga and the UEFA Champions League. Last season, you sometimes struggled to turn those games in your favour. How important is it to see those games through to the end this time around?
Beier: “It’s definitely very important. It was also something we discussed in pre-season, because we simply gave away too many points last term.
“I remember the home game against Stuttgart and the match at St. Pauli. Those were the games that really stayed with me. There were probably another one or two, like the game at Hamburg. If we had picked up those extra points, things would have been much better. We want to take that extra step this season.”
Watch: St. Pauli 3-3 Dortmund - highlights from August 2025
Bundesliga: One game we’re already looking ahead to is the match against Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker. Which of their many qualities stands out above all others?
Beier: “I think they have world-class players throughout their attack. They can make something happen out of nowhere, and at any moment. That’s what made Bayern so strong last season, and it’s making them very strong again this season.”
Bundesliga: You’re actually above Bayern in the table at the moment. Is that a noteworthy achievement, given that it didn’t happen once last season?
Beier: “We'll see.”
