Kovac: "Disaster? Oh, that's a harsh word."
BVB is already under some pressure ahead of their second group match of the Club World Cup. Coach Niko Kovac's team is looking for a win against league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa. But he doesn't want to hear about impending disaster.
Respects Mamelodi Sundowns and talks about the weather: BVB coach Niko Kovac. Picture alliance / HMB Media
Matthias Dersch reports from Cincinnati
It may only be the day before BVB's second Club World Cup group match, but the South African journalists who accompanied Dortmund's opponents Mamelodi Sundowns to the match venue in Cincinnati are already up to speed - which isn't difficult at all given the 32 degree Celsius outside temperature.
BVB coach Niko Kovac was asked in the first third of the press conference by a reporter accompanying Mamelodi whether a defeat on Saturday (6 p.m. CEST, LIVE! on kicker) against South Africa's record champions, generally considered underdogs, would be a "disaster." Kovac had to laugh, but dismissed the "strong words." "You can currently see that the teams from the south have an advantage due to the conditions," said the 53-year-old. "We expect a good team."
High temperatures at middayWhile Sundowns from the capital Pretoria may be an unknown quantity for most fans, BVB has prepared for their opponent as if they were a Bundesliga team. The club's analysts have reviewed ample video footage and prepared it for Kovac and his assistants.
What the Dortmund coach saw certainly impressed him. "They want to play football and tend to want to solve things playfully. They're playing well – but we'll have to prevent that," says Kovac, immediately addressing his team's core task: "It gets damn hot when the sun shines into the stadium at 12 noon. That's why you have to make sure you have plenty of possession. Because if you're chasing the music, it takes a lot of energy."
What's special about the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati is that the substitutes' benches are exposed to the sun at midday. Temperatures are expected to reach at least 32 degrees Celsius on match day. "And down there in the bowl, it's probably another three or four degrees warmer," Kovac predicts. Given the conditions, he's not surprised that the tournament's overall sporting quality has been rather mediocre so far.
That was exactly what was being discussed on Thursday when Arsene Wenger visited BVB at Inter Miami's training ground, where the guests from Germany are staying during the Club World Cup .
"Arsene and I agreed," Kovac reported the following day in Cincinnati about the meeting with the former top coach and current FIFA advisor. "The pace isn't very fast – but it's not possible due to the high temperatures. If someone sits in front of the TV and says the players aren't moving, there's a reason for that. Their bodies heat up, even the viewers feel hot. These aren't excuses, but explanations."
On Saturday, when BVB faces their final lunchtime match of the tournament, it's expected that Kovac will make at least a few changes to his team. Jobe Bellingham, for example, is a candidate for the starting eleven, and Felix Nmecha could also be considered for the currently slightly overstaffed central midfield.
Early substitutions are planned anyway—as was the case in the sluggish opening match against Brazilian club Fluminense ( 0-0 ). For the recovered Maximilian Beier, this could be a chance for a comeback, but he's not yet in the starting lineup.
Kovac: "Nothing is easy in life"And how would a defeat be considered if not a disaster? Anything less than a win would, of course, be a disappointment from Dortmund's perspective. After all, BVB has ambitious goals for the premiere of the new Club World Cup – and is already under some pressure after the opening draw.
But even in the sun-baked atmosphere of Cincinnati, Kovac isn't letting himself be drawn into a challenge. "We respect all our opponents, they deserve it," says the BVB coach, for whom, like BVB, this is his first club match against a South African team. "We see a lot of potential in them."
And then, at the very end of the press conference, he even becomes slightly philosophical: "Nothing is easy in life, especially not in football."
