Rotation announced
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BVB coach Niko Kovac described his enthusiasm for Julian Brandt (29) with an idiosyncratic comparison. “I’m happy. You can see, I’m beaming like a reactor. Jule is a great player and a great person,” Kovac replied to a journalist that evening in Copenhagen when asked about the offensive player who recently only came off the bench at Borussia Dortmund, but was often convincing in this role.
On Tuesday (9 p.m./DAZN) Dortmund will be visiting FC Copenhagen in the Champions League. “I know what Jule can do. In Mainz he came out of nowhere and decided the game on his own. Jule will start again in the near future. I’m glad I have him,” added Kovac. The BVB coach currently has many options, especially in the midfield and offensive positions.
Dortmund got off to a strong start in the premier class with a 4-4 draw at Juventus Turin and a 4-1 home win over Athletic Bilbao. Kovac called the new mode with eight different opponents “a really nice, good format”. The aim is to get into the top eight with good performances and thus “have the advantage of two games less when we move into the next phase.” You know “what it takes to reach the top positions.”
In addition to Brandt: BVB coach Kovac is also strengthening Bellingham
The BVB coach also defended young professional Jobe Bellingham against criticism, who, like Brandt, rarely played from the start recently. Bellingham came on as a substitute in the 1-2 loss at FC Bayern on Saturday and made a mistake a short time later before conceding the second goal. “I don’t understand the criticism at all. Jobe makes a very, very good impression,” said Kovac. He has “no problem” setting up the 20-year-old Englishman in Copenhagen. But Kovac didn’t want to commit to personnel.
“It may be that the coach will make a few changes due to the many games that await us. The squad is well-stocked,” at least sports director Sebastian Kehl said before the flight to Copenhagen. Kovac added: “Five of the next six games are away games. Of course that means we’ll be traveling a lot. I’ll definitely change here and there.” In this phase, “everyone will definitely get their chances.”