Niko Kovac said the job does not stop when training ends, just days before Borussia Dortmund meet Werder Bremen again in the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday. He said coaches take everything home with them and cannot simply shut the office door, get in the car and leave it behind.
That is the immediate backdrop to a match that already carries edge. Borussia Dortmund beat HEBC 5:0 in the first round in early September, but their most recent meeting with Werder Bremen is still fresh: Dortmund led 2:0 in the 87th minute earlier this month and still finished with a 2:2 draw after Niclas Füllkrug equalized in the 92nd minute.
Kovac framed the work as a constant mental exercise. Coaches keep thinking about what they can do better, he said, and the pressure only makes that harder. He described the role as very demanding and said external pressure adds to the strain. In his view, no coach can treat the day as finished once the car door closes.
That makes this cup meeting more than a routine second-round tie. Dortmund and Werder Bremen have met three times in the DFB-Pokal before, in 2009, 2019 and 2020, and Werder Bremen won each of those round-of-16 games. The recent league draw offered a different pattern for most of the night, because Dortmund controlled the match for 80 to 85 minutes before letting it slip in the final phase.
Kovac also pointed to the opposition itself, saying good work is being done in Bremen and that Werder Bremen have built a strong side despite losing some key players. Dortmund now have the chance to turn control into a full 90 minutes in the same matchup that has repeatedly punished them in the cup. If they cannot, the old pattern will remain intact; if they do, Tuesday finally gives them a way to break it.
The wider picture around Borussia Dortmund is that they and FC Bayern are both unbeaten after seven Bundesliga matches and level on 17 points. Vincent Kompany’s collapse during training the previous Friday and his recovery in hospital has also drawn attention in the background, with FC Bayern not giving a diagnosis and Max Eberl saying he could miss several weeks. For Kovac, though, the immediate issue is simpler: he has a cup tie to prepare for, and he has already said the work follows him home.
