Kovac urges Dortmund fans to move on from Klopp
Niko Kovac believes Borussia Dortmund cannot afford to pine for a return to Jurgen Klopp's heavy-metal style and must move forward, as it prepares to return to Bundesliga action.
Dortmund emerges from the winter break second in the Bundesliga table, albeit nine points adrift of runaway leader Bayern Munich.
But it has an early chance to cut that gap when it visits Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, with Bayern not in action until Monday.
BVB's success has been built on defence, with only Bayern conceding fewer goals than its 12 in the Bundesliga this season.
It's eight clean sheets this season is a joint record for the club through 15 matchdays, having won the title on the two previous occasions where it reached that figure by this stage – in 1994-1995 and 2001-2002.
Dortmund has trailed in matches for just 91 minutes in the Bundesliga this season, with only Atletico Madrid (70 minutes) spending less time behind in Europe's top five leagues.
Almost 12 months on from his arrival at the Westfalenstadion, Kovac understands that some fans might want to see a more adventurous style, but he believes a new approach is needed.
"I played here many times before I was a coach. It's a working-class club with passion, desire, attitude and hard work in its DNA," Kovac told The Athletic.
"They also want to see nice football here. I remember when Jurgen Klopp was here with his heavy metal football.
"But these are different times, with different players, and it’s a different situation. We must look forward rather than back."
Kovac initially struggled when he arrived at the club, only for a late-season resurgence to clinch a fourth-placed finish and Champions League qualification last May.
Having seen his team carry that momentum into this campaign, Kovac reflected: "We had seen that the team had a lot of quality.
"We knew that we had to make adjustments, but also that we needed to keep it simple. And that became our motto: 'KISS... keep it simple, stupid.'"
Eintracht finished one place and three points above Dortmund last season, and it is in contention for a top-four finish again this campaign, sitting seventh in the standings, four points adrift of third-placed Bayer Leverkusen and fourth-placed RB Leipzig.
"The break was very short, but it was enough for all of us," Eintracht manager Dino Topmoller said. "The batteries are fully recharged and everyone's raring to go again – and with a cracker against BVB, too.
"Dortmund have improved their defensive solidity under Kovac; they're extremely hardworking. I'm expecting a good fight. We have to be ready from the start."
