Serhou Guirassy caused some irritation with his refused handshake on Saturday evening and caused a need for clarification from BVB head coach Niko Kovac. Between the two games against Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and DFB Cup, Kovac tried to smooth things over again.
At the press conference before the DFB Cup round of 16 against the Werkself on Tuesday evening (from 9:00 p.m.), the Borussia Dortmund coach said that the matter was over for him.
“It was the first time for Serhou that he reacted like that. I think we discussed it like adults right after the game. He came on his own initiative and apologized to me. We all make mistakes. In the emotion, in the excitement, with the adrenaline, it can happen, it shouldn’t, but it can happen. The team also came to the realization, and that makes me happy, that something like that shouldn’t happen,” said the 54-year-old.
The coach was lenient with his center forward. What was crucial for him was that Guirassy recognized his mistake. “He knows he didn’t react properly.”
Kovac was also confident that the BVB goalscorer will soon have overcome his form crisis of the last few weeks: “Scorers always need that certain something, that something special. It’s not entirely understandable for some people, but I know what qualities he has and how important he is for the team. He is also dependent on his teammates, who supply him, who feed him. If we can manage together to get him back into the situation where he is most dangerous, namely in the Box, then I’m convinced he’ll score goals again.”
Beier back in BVB training
In terms of sport, Kovac has long been focused on the next showdown with Bayer Leverkusen. Just a few days after the league success, BVB will face the league leaders again in the DFB Cup round of 16 on Tuesday – this time under floodlights in front of a big stage in their home Signal Iduna Park.
The signs are favorable: the personnel situation is noticeably improving. National player Maximilian Beier has now returned to training. The 23-year-old had recently had to take a break due to muscular problems, but has now made a full return and even completed extra laps.
“It looks good for tomorrow, he has also done something else. We will make a final decision tomorrow,” said Kovac about the offensive man.