Niko Kovač blames Borussia Dortmund players for failure, just like he did at Bayern Munich

DORTMUND, GERMANY - APRIL 11: Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac attends a press conference after the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Signal Iduna Park on April 11, 2026 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Bayern Munich fans will be hit with the strangest case of déjà vu, because Niko Kovač is back doing what he does best, which is blaming his players. The current Borussia Dortmund coach was typically defensive after his side’s 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the league, all but ending BVB hopes for the title.

“We no longer have those players with that extra skills that some of you here might like to see,” said Kovač, while defending his playstyle. (via BVB Newsblog). “We don’t have them at the moment. As a manager, you always have to assess what you’ve got at your disposal. Then you can only play the way that’s possible.”

“What we and the fans might be missing is perhaps a (Jadon) Sancho, a (Erling) Haaland, a (Ousmane) Dembélé or a (Marco) Reus,” he added. “But no one can deny that the team is playing well and successfully.”

“I believe we’re already doing a good job with the lads we have,” Kovač concluded. “They’re brilliant. I’m glad to be able to work with them. But we want to improve again next year.”

Sounds familiar, no?

Back in 2019, shortly before he got sacked, Niko Kovač defended his style of play at Bayern Munich by saying something similar. BFW covered the quotes at the time, with some degree of incredulity.

“You need to have the player types,” he said. “You can’t try to go 200 [kmh] on the Autobahn when you can only go 100. You simply must accommodate what we have.”

This was in reference to a question asking why FC Bayern could not press like Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp.

“We have different player types,” was Kovač’s argument. “We must find the right mix and I find that our gegenpressing is also good, and, of course, it can always get better.”

Posterity, of course, proved him wrong. Niko Kovač was later sacked by Bayern Munich, and replaced by Hansi Flick. Under Flick, the same team became a high-intensity counterpressing juggernaut that roared to an uncontested sextuple, becoming only the second team in the world to achieve such a feat.

BVB fans may be inclined to agree with Kovač because he has a point, Dortmund’s squad isn’t what it used to be. But is it a valid argument to suggest that the current playstyle is adequate? Only the fans of the team in question can answer that one.