Building from the back: How Niko Kovač re-established Borussia Dortmund as title contenders
A mere eight months have passed since Niko Kovač replaced Nuri Şahin in the Borussia Dortmund hot seat, but in that time the Croatian has overseen a remarkable transformation at Signal Iduna Park.
Languishing in 11th place in the Bundesliga table when Kovač took over in January, Dortmund ended the 2024/25 campaign like a runaway train, picking up 22 points from their final eight league encounters to secure an unlikely return to the UEFA Champions League.
Four months later and that impressive unbeaten run is still firmly intact, with 13 points from a possible 15 so far this season. Kovač’s team remain hot on the heels of leaders Bayern Munich after their 1-0 victory over Mainz on Matchday 5. That was the 53-year-old’s 200th game as a Bundesliga head coach - a milestone celebrated with a clean sheet as well.
It not only represents their best start to a league campaign in eight years, it also leaves Kovač with the best points-per-game ratio (2.16) of any Dortmund boss in the division’s history from his 19 matches in charge.
So how has the former Bayern, Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg coach re-established Borussia as Bundesliga frontrunners in such a short space of time?
Watch: Enter the Dortmund fortress
While Dortmund’s attacking players have certainly played an integral role – more on them later – their remarkable upturn in form has been built from the back.
Only six teams had conceded more Bundesliga goals in 2024/25 prior to Kovač’s appointment, but his switch from a four-man defence to a back three for the Matchday 27 visit of Mainz proved a masterstroke, setting the wheels in motion for their subsequent rise up the standings.
Only Bayern have collected as many Bundesliga points since Dortmund’s 3-1 win over Die Nullfünfer on 30 March, and while the defensive improvement Kovač was after may have taken a little longer to materialise – Bayern, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen all scored twice against BVB towards the end of last term – it has been worth the wait.
With just three goals conceded so far, Borussia not only boast the joint-best defensive record in the division, they are the only side to have registered four successive clean sheets in the top flight this season.
Their xG conceded figure since the 3-3 draw with St. Pauli on Matchday 1 (2.3) is the lowest in the league, while goalkeeper Gregor Kobel has only had to make one save since Matchday 2, when Borussia triumphed 3-0 over Union Berlin.
Stretching back to last season, Kovač’s team have now gone four Bundesliga home games without conceding a goal – the third longest run in their history after 2009/10 (six matches without conceding under Jürgen Klopp) and 1989/90 (five under Horst Köppel).
The return to fitness of Nico Schlotterbeck, who made his comeback from a torn meniscus against Wolfsburg, is unlikely to do any harm whatsoever in that regard as Dortmund look to keep pace with Vincent Kompany’s charges at the Bundesliga summit.
“You can see how important he is in stabalising this defence,” Kovač said of Schlotterbeck after last week's 1-0 victory. “When we’re very compact at the back, it is really difficult to play against us.”
Watch: Dortmund down Wolfsburg
Of course, there is little point in having a stingy defence if your forwards can’t do the business at the other end of the pitch. Luckily for Kovač, he has no such problems.
Prior to Matchday 4, only Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé had scored more goals in Europe’s top five divisions in 2025 than Serhou Guirassy, whose clinical header in the 2-0 triumph over Heidenheim on Matchday 3 made him the first Dortmund player to score in eight successive Bundesliga appearances since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a decade ago.
Moreover, three of Guirassy’s four league goals this season have broken the deadlock in games, helping lay the foundation for Dortmund’s impressive start.
When asked about his impact last month, Kovać replied: “I’ve used the term ‘life insurance’ several times. Bayern have Harry Kane, Manchester City have Erling Haaland, and we have Guirassy!”
Watch: Guirassy's goals in 2025/26
Kovač’s appointment has also coincided with another purple patch – from Guirassy’s fellow forward Karim Adeyemi.
Since March, the 23-year-old has registered 15 goal involvements in all competitions, including a stunning winner against Wolfsburg on Matchday 4.
The perfect foil for Guirassy, Adeyemi not only earned his team all three points against Paul Simonis’ side but registered more shots (four), attempted more dribbles (five), completed more sprints (29) and won more duels (eight) than any other player on the pitch.
In the absence of his chief strike partner against Mainz, Adeyemi stepped up alongside his number 10 Julian Brandt, who recorded two assists on the day.
"The most important thing is that we won, played confidently and didn’t concede a goal," said Adeyemi after his starring performance. "It’s fun to play with this team – and when we win, it’s even better."
Watch: Adeyemi's Fair Play Moment by Milka
Maximilian Beier, who missed Borussia’s final four games of last season with an ankle injury but has already chipped in with a goal and an assist this term, completes what is increasingly looking like Kovač’s preferred three-pronged attack.
It is one that is not only perfectly balanced but looking more formidable with each passing game.
Kovač, unsurprisingly, is refusing to look too far ahead, despite extending their unbeaten run at the Mewa Arena.
He may struggle to keep the BVB fans’ feet planted firmly on the ground if they keep going like this.
“It’s the fifth matchday of the Bundesliga, not too much has happened yet,” he said. “But we are on the right track. I know how things are in life and in football. That’s why we are staying focused. We will continue to work hard.”
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