Niko Kovač upbeat as Borussia Dortmund sow seeds of change
Although Borussia Dortmund suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Stuttgart in Niko Kovač's first match in charge, the new coach was pleased with his side's performance. The commitment and drive his players showed were enough to indicate that BVB are heading in the right direction.
Statistics such as 65 per cent possession and 16:3 shots on target confirmed that Dortmund put in a decent performance against Stuttgart on Saturday afternoon. However, the points went home with Sebastian Hoeneß's side after the 2-1 defeat, which was the eighth of the season for BVB, who lost just seven times all last season.
"It could have gone worse," said Kovač after his first game as coach of the Black-and-Yellows. "The team gave their all, and of course the defeat hurts because it was unnecessary. It's the little things that decide a game like this, especially at such a high level in the Bundesliga."
Indeed, the little things - like Waldemar Anton's unlucky own-goal - hurt Dortmund, but Kovač has enough experience to put them in perspective.
Watch: Kovač: "It was an open game"
"My team showed a very good level of commitment and real drive for 90 minutes. We controlled the opponent," opined the former Bayern Munich boss, who took the reins from interim boss Mike Tullberg just a week ago. "We've implemented a lot in the last four days: we had a lot of good deep runs and created good situations. I can remember a few scenes with one-twos and good runs: that's what I want to see."
However promising the performance was, the fact remains that BVB failed to capitalise on their possession time and their host of chances. However, Kovač believes that small adjustments at either end of the pitch - rather than sweeping changes - will see his side hit their straps.
Watch: Borussia Dortmund 1-2 VfB Stuttgart - highlights
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"We didn't make the right decisions when entering the box," said the new Dortmund boss after seeing Karim Adeyemi miss a big chance in the 49th minute - less than 60 seconds before Waldemar Anton put through his own net at the other end - and Jamie Leweling crossed unchallenged for Jeff Chabot to bag the winner. "We have to defend better in the box. The box must be defended."
Curiously, Kovač has lost all seven of his matches in Dortmund in his Bundesliga coaching career, across all clubs: twice with Eintracht Frankfurt, twice with Bayern and twice as coach of Wolfsburg. Dortmund and Kovač will look to iron out their weekend creases in the first leg of their Champions League play-off away to Sporting Lisbon looms on Tuesday.
"We've got the next game in three days," said the cool and calm Kovač, clearly not one to throw the baby out with the bathwater - especially when the job has just begun and there are continental clashes to focus on. "We want to win this game! We just have to stay true to what we showed against Stuttgart. The lads believe in our game plan - they just have to implement it a bit better."
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