Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac said his side’s recovery from two goals down against Roma was a positive sign ahead of next week’s Supercup meeting with Bayern Munich.
Dortmund made a difficult start to the friendly, conceding twice inside the opening eight minutes. However, they responded strongly and drew level before half-time, before continuing to control much of the match until the 75th minute.
“Especially in the first half, the game was very exciting. After the eighth minute, you naturally think that against an Italian team, the game is practically over. But then we fought back and controlled the match until the 75th minute. If we had won in the end, it would have been well deserved. After facing two European powerhouses in Arsenal and Roma, we will go into the Supercup against Bayern with a good feeling.”
Kovac acknowledged that the early setback had exposed defensive weaknesses, but said the way Dortmund reacted was particularly encouraging against an experienced Italian side.
“This was a great game for the fans, but we didn’t start well. For the first 8 minutes, we were completely out of sorts and missed our marks twice, but then we responded very well. It’s not easy to come back from 0-2 down against an Italian team. We wasted some opportunities, especially in the second half. Of course, we wanted to win, but pre-season friendly results don’t count. The real games start next week.”
The Dortmund coach also pointed to the disruption caused by players not yet being available as a full squad. He said the team had not trained together for a prolonged period and that several important defensive players remained absent.
“We started very poorly and had major problems with defensive marking. Of course, we also have to consider that we haven’t trained together as a full squad for a long time, and some important defensive players are still missing. After that, we played a lot of good football, especially offensively. Now we have another week of training, then the Supercup, and then the Bundesliga. I think by then, we will have reached our peak level.”
Dortmund had also faced Arsenal in London the previous week, and one official suggested that performance may have been slightly stronger. Nevertheless, the club believes its preparations are progressing well, with new signings already adding quality and intensity.
“Maybe the performance was a bit better last week in London, but we can still see that the team has trained a lot and is on the right track. We are already at a pretty good level, and although some players are new, they bring a lot of energy and quality both with and without the ball. We are ready for next week. We just need to strengthen our defense a bit more; otherwise, I don’t think there’s much difference compared to the last game. Personally, I feel much better physically. I’ve played 90 minutes twice in a week.”
Another Dortmund representative described the early deficit as uncomfortable but praised the mentality shown in restoring parity during the first half.
“It doesn’t feel good to be 2-0 down so early. But the good news is that we fought back and equalized at 2-2 in the first half. We tried to stay positive and push forward, and we did that quite well.”
The Supercup against Bayern will provide Dortmund with their next competitive test, before their Bundesliga campaign begins.
