One year of Niko Kovač: How the Croatian has turned Borussia Dortmund into title contenders
Borussia Dortmund currently sit second in the Bundesliga with just one loss to their name in 20 games, but it hasn’t always been plain sailing. The appointment of Niko Kovač one year ago today was the catalyst for restoring the five-time Bundesliga winners to title candidates after a difficult 2024/25 campaign.
At the time of his appointment, BVB sat 11th in the Bundesliga with 29 points from 20 games and just eight wins to their name. That return put them 22 points adrift of league leaders Bayern Munich and 16 behind second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, with a second consecutive season outside the top four looking more likely with each passing week.
The 2023/24 campaign had at least seen them challenge for major silverware, as Edin Terzić's men enjoyed an improbable run to the UEFA Champions League final, where they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid. Following Terzić's emotional decision to step back, they hired former midfield metronome Nuri Şahin as their new head coach.
However, he didn't last long. Having won just three games from 10 between the end of November 2024 and 1 February 2025, the ex-Türkiye international was dismissed, with the club languishing just below mid-table. Kovač was charged with steering them back into contention for the European places.
Watch: The Niko Kovač way
Things didn’t get off to a perfect start under Kovač as Dortmund suffered consecutive losses to VfB Stuttgart and relegation-threatened Bochum. By the end of campaign, though, the former Bayern midfielder had guided them to nine wins from their remaining 14 games, collecting the second best points total (28) during that timeframe and - crucially - secured Champions League football via a fourth-placed league finish.
The upward trend has continued in Kovač's first full season in charge. After 20 games of 2025/26, Dortmund have collected 45 points, only losing once, and sit six points behind rivals Bayern. In all competitions, they’ve lost just five of 31 fixtures so far, averaging two points per game.
Watch: Dortmund keep getting results
The Black-Yellows had a goal difference of +2 at the stage last season, having scored 36 goals and conceded 34. In contrast, their 2025/26 tally stands at 41 goals scored and just 19 conceded, putting them one goal behind the best defensive record in the league (Bayern's 18 against).
While Kovač initially stuck with the 4-2-3-1 formation used by Şahin, he eventually switched to a 3-4-2-1, which appears to have brought the best out of his squad. By sticking the likes of Karim Adeyemi, Maximilian Beier and Julian Brandt closer to Serhou Guirassy in the two supporting positions behind him and using wing-backs to provide width, the former Croatia, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern, Monaco and Wolfsburg boss has made them a much more exciting outfit going forward.
Dortmund scored 35 goals across Kovač’s first 14 games, just one fewer than they’d managed in the previous 20. They’ve recorded the third highest tally so far in 2025/26 with 41 goals scored, which is even more impressive considering that their main man Guirassy has just eight of them.
With flying wing-backs supporting BVB's attacking trident, the opposition has less space to breathe when in possession, whilst also allowing the central midfield pivot - typically the ever-improving Felix Nmecha plus one - to drop slightly deeper in order to sweep up any counter-attacks. That, combined with the use of an extra centre-back, one of which is a fully fit Nico Schlotterbeck, has made BVB much stronger in their own defensive third.
Watch: The best of Nico Schlotterbeck in 2025/26
Since his arrival at Signal Iduna Park, Kovač has collected 73 points from 34 Bundesliga matches (W22, D7, L5), at an average of 2.2 points per game. They’ve scored 76 goals and conceded 36 on his watch, making them the second best side in Germany since he took over.
While Bayern continue to lead them in those metrics, as well as in the current standings, Dortmund have been edging ever closer to their Klassiker rivals under the Croatian and there’s still plenty of time left in the season to catch them.
Up next for Dortmund is a trip to Wolfsburg, where Kovač will look to defeat another of his former sides and continue their pursuit of a first Bundesliga title since 2011/12, under Jürgen Klopp.
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From Hitzfeld to Klopp to Tuchel and now Kovač, here's a complete guide of all the men to lead the Black and Yellows from the dugout in the Bundesliga era.