On August 29, local time, Borussia Dortmund coach Kovač attended the press conference after the victory against Hamburg.

On the Match

Kovač: "I think we played a very, very good first half today. Ultimately, it's always like this: when one team plays very well and the other doesn't perform at the expected level, the match ends with a result like this. I think we should have led by more than 2-0 in the first half; our performance was truly excellent. In the second half, I agree with their coach. Hamburg came back much stronger and with greater intensity. We had too many easy turnovers and couldn't get into the situations we handled so well in the first half."

"Of course, Konstantelias's injury also came into play, which certainly affected us to some degree. Everyone saw how important he is—he played a truly vital role, especially in the first half. So that was indeed a turning point. Still, I'm satisfied with our performance for large parts of today's match. It's certainly a pleasure to advance to the next round with this victory."

You just mentioned there were many positive things today, but I want to start with one terrible moment—the injury. Do you have any updates? From what we saw on the pitch, it looked like a knee examination was performed. What's your first impression of the situation?

Kovač: "It looks like the doctor examined him, and it doesn't feel good. We'll have an MRI scan done tomorrow. At the moment, we're assuming it's likely a serious knee injury. That's very sad. If it ultimately turns out to be an ACL tear, then we can say we paid a very high price for this victory."

In your earlier interview, you mentioned seeing Inácio in tears as he left the pitch. How will you now help such a young player recover and get back on his feet? And how will you let him know you still trust him?

Kovač: "Of course, I spoke with him. He was very upset, which is completely normal. When a player has to leave the pitch after about two and a half to three minutes of play, had high expectations of himself, and receives his first red card in his professional football career, it's completely understandable that he's very emotional, very sad, even tearful. I comforted him. I'll continue to comfort him and help him get back on his feet. That's part of football. He didn't do it intentionally, but he'll learn from it and grow. I believe that in similar situations in the future, he'll definitely handle things differently."

If Konstantelias is ultimately confirmed to have an ACL tear, do you think the team's attacking power is still strong enough to cope with such a lengthy absence? Second question: regarding Daniel Svensson—why was he your most natural choice after Bensebaini's injury? How is Bensebaini doing now? With a few days until Tuesday, is there a chance he could recover in time?

Kovač: "As for Svensson, I chose him because he's left-footed. Otherwise, we'd have three right-footed players, which would make organizing our attack and building play somewhat more difficult. And he's already played this position for the national team, particularly this specific role. For me, it was completely risk-free to play Svensson there. You just have to tell Svensson, 'Do this,' and he'll do it immediately. In fact, you don't even have to say much; you just look at him, and he knows exactly what to do. He's a very intelligent young player who can implement the requirements right away. I'm very pleased about that. I think he did very well today. Of course, he returned to his original position after being substituted."

"As for Bensebaini, he was struck by a teammate in the liver area. His ribs aren't broken, but he has some bruising. Walking is very painful for him. He couldn't train today, and he was also ruled out for the DFB-Pokal. So I hope he can return for the next match against Hoffenheim. We really need to seriously consider what other options we have. Whether we'll take any action, we don't know yet. But at least we'll discuss it—that's certain. Whether we'll ultimately make a decision in that direction, we'll have to see."

What did you say to Konstantelias when he was substituted? It looked like you needed to help him get back on his feet immediately.

Kovač: "I first asked him how he felt and what had happened, because from a distance outside the pitch, we couldn't really see all the details clearly. He told me he heard a 'crack.' After the match, in the dressing room, I of course comforted him as well. He was very upset. His family even came specially to watch today's match. As a result, he scored a goal, but then suffered the injury. You can imagine—it was really an enormous emotional rollercoaster."

"For this young man, it's certainly a low point now. But it's not just a low point for him, but also for our entire team and our fans. What the fans saw from him today really gives reason for hope about the future. If tomorrow's examination ultimately confirms this result, we'll certainly be very sad today. But even then, we'll help him recover as quickly as possible and come back stronger."

You played very dominantly in the first half, and in my view, that was also linked to your very coordinated pressing. Compared to last season, I feel you've taken another step forward in this regard. Do you share that feeling? If so, what do you think is the main reason for this improvement?

Kovač: "Actually, we already had many very good pressing moments last year, even in my first season here, and we scored goals through pressing. You have to constantly demand this from the players. Because in the second half, Hamburg was much better in this regard, and we didn't get into as many pressing situations."

"Of course, so-called dominance doesn't just mean having an advantage in possession. You can also show dominance by pressing the opponent. When you press high, when you force the opponent into one-on-one duels, when you immediately counter-press after losing the ball so the opponent can't smoothly overcome your first pressing line—that's also a form of dominance."

"We did that very well in the first half. Ultimately, it's always about passion, intensity, and battles. Especially today—the players should have seen this already—when you go one-on-one, fight one-on-one across the entire pitch, you have to be in position on time. That's football. Football is a contact sport, and football is also a competitive sport. And we did that really very well in the first half. That should also be our standard, or rather, the level we must always maintain."

Übersetzt von KI.

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