Borussia Dortmund would probably rather not think about the last time that they topped the Bundesliga. It was in May 2023, just before all their dreams imploded, with black and yellow Deutschmeister t-shirts – ‘master of Germany’ – for sale on the approach to Signal Iduna Park and cold beers at the ready. Now, that is no longer the most recent time Dortmund have led the pack.
It’s four games, four wins to start this season and the Niko Kovac workout plan is hitting the spot. Saturday night’s single-goal win at Stuttgart was a game that had the gravitas of a true Topspiel, if not quite the entertainment value of one. Kovac’s fingerprints were all over it.
The conversation of whether his view of the game fits with BVB’s swashbuckling image will no doubt continue, but this was a case in point to show just how good Kovac has been for the club, and for the team. Dortmund had taken four points from the two games against Sebastian Hoeness and his Stuttgart team last season – and just as Kovac will not be oblivious to criticism of his side’s style, nor is Hoeness to whispers about his impressive team’s waning record against direct rivals – but were hardly overwhelmingly impressive either. It had been a huge improvement on the 2024-25 encounters with Stuttgart, in which BVB had been well beaten, twice, once under the short reign of Nuri Sahin and once in Kovac’s first game in charge, at which point he must have realised the mountainous task ahead of him.
Here, in September 2026, was the clearest of markers of how far Dortmund have come under the former Croatia midfielder and how deeply his ideas have taken root. To see a Dortmund patient, poised and defensively competent enough to grind this game out is still a novelty, and they didn’t have a shot on target until Maximilian Beier prodded in the winner from an inviting ball in by substitute Jobe Bellingham. That Dortmund dealt with everything the home side had in response, with street smarts and limited fuss, was laudable.
They made a very accomplished attacking forced look ordinary. Their adaptability was striking, with Bellingham impacting off the bench and Beier thriving in a more advanced role. They are both Kovac’s type: young, willing, athletic and adaptable.
Should we call Dortmund contenders? That is, perhaps, a bit strong. But there is talk is about reducing the 16-point gap to Bayern that remained at the end of last season, and there were signs here that they may, at least, be capable of that.
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