Post-Match Report
Kovac: “You Can Only Win Games by Scoring Goals”
“Sure, we’d been on a better run before, especially in terms of results,” said the sporting director after the game in Berlin, which brought an end to a long streak. No other matchup in the history of the Bundesliga had been played more often without a draw. Since no team scored the first goal this time, there was no winner for the first time ever. “It was a tough away game, and we may have lacked a bit of freshness,” said Book after three flights on Tuesday (to Norway), Thursday (back to Dortmund), and Friday (to Berlin): “Though I did think it went much better, especially in terms of attitude.”
Borussia Dortmund won 57 percent of their duels against an opponent known for its physicality, dictated the pace of the game with 61 percent possession, but created only a few chances in front of the opponent’s goal. “We need to play much more accurately, much more precisely, and much more automatically in the final third,” said Niko Kovac: “Union defended well, but we also didn’t play the way I would have liked. Because it would have been possible to attack behind the opponent’s defense to ultimately break through their line. We need to get back to doing that quickly, because you can only win games by scoring goals.”
2–2 against Werder Bremen (Book: “I still stand by my assessment that we played a very good second half”), 0–1 at Bodø/Glimt (Book: “Really frustrating for us—we were very dissatisfied with that”) and now a 0–0 draw at Union Berlin (Kovac: “That’s not enough for us”)—the team that started the season with six wins in six competitive matches is currently struggling. And they have to get back on a plane on Monday. Then it’s off to the Caspian Sea. A five-hour flight. “It’s also a test of willpower—it’ll be 25 degrees there,” says Book, describing the situation ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League match (6:45 p.m. CEST) in Baku against Sabah FK: “That’s where we can show what lessons we’ve learned and that the UEFA Champions League match in Norway was just a slip-up. We’ve just been given the opportunity to learn and improve together as a team. We’re eager to take it.”
Boris Rupert
