Dortmund back at the Bundesliga summit as Kovac's blueprint takes root
Ghosts of 2023 surface as Dortmund lead the pack again
Borussia Dortmund would probably rather not think about the last time they topped the Bundesliga. It was in May 2023, just before all their dreams imploded, with black-and-yellow 'Deutschmeister' T-shirts on sale along the approach to Signal Iduna Park and cold beers at the ready. Now, after four games and four wins to start this season, that is no longer the most recent time Dortmund have led the pack.
Saturday night's single-goal win at Stuttgart had the gravitas of a true Topspiel, if not quite the entertainment value of one, and Niko Kovac's fingerprints were all over it. The conversation about whether the former Croatia midfielder's 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.
A patient, poised Dortmund grind out the points
Dortmund had taken four points from last season's two meetings with Sebastian Hoeness's Stuttgart, but were hardly overwhelmingly impressive — a huge improvement on the 2024-25 encounters, 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 and how deeply his ideas have taken root.
To see a Dortmund side patient, poised and defensively competent enough to grind this game out is still a novelty, and they did not have a shot on target until Maximilian Beier prodded in the winner from an inviting ball delivered 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 force look ordinary.
'In a top match,' Stuttgart's Hoeness later reflected, 'decent and okay aren't enough.'
That Bellingham and Beier combined for the winner was noteworthy too. The former is frequently rubbished for not being the equal of his generationally-talented elder brother, and the latter is another player who is simply underrated; both were brought in for big money and accordingly viewed with little patience. 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.
Climbing the right ladder
Should we call Dortmund contenders? That is, perhaps, a bit strong. But there is talk 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.
'It's about annoying Bayern a bit,' Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken framed it, following the win at Stuttgart.
Dortmund were never going to return to relevance and consistency by trying to relive the Jürgen Klopp years, or by trying to ape Bayern — and yes, both of those approaches have been attempted. To get into the position where they can face the hurt (and potential rewards) of 2023 all over again will take a while, and it does not depend only on them — it will take Bayern falling down a rung or two. They are at least climbing the right ladder, slowly, steadily and diligently.