Niko Kovac praises Joey Veerman and Ethan Nwaneri after Dortmund bench inspires Bundesliga comeback

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Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac credited his substitutes – particular Joey Veerman and Ethan Nwaneri – with shifting Saturday’s Bundesliga encounter after his side came from two goals down to defeat TSG Hoffenheim 3-2.

For approximately an hour, little suggested that Dortmund would leave Sinsheim with three points. Hoffenheim deservedly led through Leon Avdullahu at halftime before Tim Lemperle doubled the advantage in the 54th minute.

The hosts even passed up opportunities to make it 3-0 before Serhou Guirassy suddenly changed the complexion of the match. The Guinean pulled one back in the 61st minute and supplied Fabio Silva with an excellent pass for the equalizer five minutes later.

Dortmund eventually completed the turnaround in the 87th minute when deadline-day addition Ethan Nwaneri drove into the left side of the penalty area and attempted to square the ball. Hoffenheim defender Albian Hajdari intervened and inadvertently turned the delivery past Oliver Baumann.

Kovac felt the players introduced from the bench played a decisive role in the comeback.

“All five substitutes played an excellent game and made an impact on changing the game,” the Dortmund trainer said at the press conference afterward.

Kovac credits Veerman with restoring control

One of Kovac’s most important interventions came at halftime. Joey Veerman replaced Felix Nmecha after Dortmund had struggled badly to retain possession during the opening 45 minutes.

“We brought on Joey Veerman at the half because we had too little ball possession,” Kovac explained. “In the first half, we were turning the ball over too often. With Joey, we were able to somewhat normalize things. He’s really good on the ball technically. That’s why we signed him, so that we can find solutions in these tight spaces when the pressure from the opponent is so great.”

“He found the solution and organized things defensively very well together with Jobe [Bellingham],” Kovac continued. “I believe, at the age of 27, one can speak of plenty of experience and plenty of quality. He has Champions League experience. That helps this team and I’m pleased to have him on this team.”

Nwaneri makes immediate Bundesliga impact

Nwaneri’s Bundesliga debut arrived much earlier than anticipated. The Arsenal loanee had only trained twice with his new teammates before Filippo Mané suffered an injury in the 32nd minute. Kovac nevertheless had no hesitation in introducing the youngster.

“Nwaneri is physically fit,” Kovac said. “It’s very important when a player arrives having only trained twice that one can place one’s trust in him. If he hadn’t been fit, I wouldn’t have brought him on. Then the risk for me would have been too great.”

The 19-year-old initially struggled to establish himself in the left half-space behind Guirassy and lost possession dangerously shortly after entering. Like Dortmund as a whole, however, Nwaneri improved after halftime.

Kovac highlighted precisely the qualities that convinced Dortmund to bring the England youth international to Germany.

“He could solve problems on a man-for-man basis and radiate calmness on the ball,” Kovac said. “He had that little bit of luck [on the own goal], but he worked hard for it. We signed him because we’re convinced he has top qualities. He proved that today and we hope he’ll continue to prove it in the coming weeks.”

Kovac celebrates landmark win

The victory also carried personal significance for Kovac. Saturday marked his 50th Bundesliga match in charge of Dortmund. The three points took his league haul with BVB to 107 through those 50 fixtures, moving him beyond Thomas Tuchel and Lucien Favre, who each collected 105 over the equivalent span.

The performance itself nevertheless demonstrated why Kovac still has plenty of work ahead of him.

Dortmund were second best for much of the opening hour and could easily have fallen three goals behind. Once Guirassy dragged them back into contention, however, the visitors displayed the resilience and ruthless efficiency that have increasingly characterized Kovac’s tenure.

The coach’s changes did the rest.

Veerman restored control. Fabio Silva scored almost immediately after entering. Nwaneri helped force the winning goal.

For a Dortmund squad containing plenty of new and young faces, Kovac could scarcely have asked for a better demonstration of his bench’s value.

GGFN | Peter Weis