Goals, goals conceded, young talents, development: BVB head into the final stretch of the season full of ambition

Kovac had set the team up and instructed them to play more offensively. Not two hard-working wingers who never neglect their defensive duties, but just one (Julian Ryerson) was in the starting line-up. Instead, Maxi Beier started on the left in place of Daniel Svensson. In practical terms, Beier was positioned level with centre-forward Serhou Guirassy. As a result, when defending, the back three or five often became a back four, with the alert Ramy Bensebaini on the left. That paid off early on. It was Bensebaini who, in the eighth minute, played a long ball deep and wide on the left in his own half to Beier, who was positioned far forward; Beier was subsequently unable to be stopped by the Freiburg defence and duly scored the earliest goal of the season for the Black & Yellows.

Beier was one of the standout performers; the other was Samuele Inacio. “He had some refreshing moments. That was a promising first-team debut,” said Book of the 18-year-old. In the closing stages, 16-year-old Mathis Albert came on – the third-youngest Bundesliga player to wear a BVB shirt after Youssoufa Moukoko and Nuri Sahin.

“What impresses me,” said Kovac of Inacio, “is the way he works so hard, how he trains – with dedication, with passion, with intensity. That’s exactly what I demand from young players who have a certain amount of talent. Alongside natural talent, they also need the talent for hard work.” Inacio demonstrates this week in, week out on the training ground. And that impresses a meticulous football coach like Kovac. “The same goes for Mathis Albert. He, too, is a talented young lad who played his first game today. I like the way they conduct themselves in training, and that’s why they’re being rewarded. I’m just the one who then gives them the opportunity.”

Boris Rupert