After Years of Inconsistency Is Niko Kovac the man to return Borussia Dortmund to glory? | OneFootball

The Black and Yellows navigated through some rough terrain after their 2002 Bundesliga win. The club had a successful decade in the ’90s, during which they lifted the UEFA Champions League. However, reckless expenditure at the start of the millennium led the club to the brink of financial ruin.

While Dortmund navigated through this storm, thanks in no small part to Hans-Joachim Watzke, the club had to wait a while to return to on-pitch success.

The man tasked with waking up the sleeping giant, Jürgen Klopp, worked his magic and gave the BVB faithful years to remember. Klopp’s young side lifted the league trophy in his third season. The same team won the domestic double the following season, besting the record champions, Bayern Munich.

Even though the 2012/13 season ended in disappointment on all three fronts, the adventurous Champions League run made Dortmund everyone’s favorite. The front three of Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus, and Mario Götze were the envy of all Europe.

The bad news for this exciting team, however, came just before the much-anticipated Champions League final at Wembley. It was reported that Dortmund’s golden boy, Mario Götze, would join the Bavarians.

Many, including Klopp, admit that Götze’s departure—seen by many fans as a betrayal—marked the beginning of the end of the fairytale story of Borussia Dortmund’s golden era. The following summer, star striker Robert Lewandowski joined Bayern. BVB had their worst season under Klopp, finishing 7th in the 2014/15 season. It was also to be the German manager’s last season at his beloved club.

When Thomas Tuchel replaced Klopp, there was a strong belief that he was the right man for the job. Tuchel’s era at Dortmund started with 11 straight wins. However, a draw at Hoffenheim was followed by a 5-1 drubbing by Bayern at the Allianz Arena.

While BVB finished second in the league with one of the highest point totals for that position, the Black and Yellows didn’t win any trophies. They lost the DFB Pokal final on penalties to Bayern and were heartbreakingly knocked out of the Europa League’s quarter-final stage by Klopp’s Liverpool.

In the summer, Tuchel was left disappointed as the club was unable to hold onto star players. Mats Hummels joined Bayern, İlkay Gündoğan became Pep Guardiola’s first signing at Manchester City, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who had an incredible season with 23 goals and 32 assists in all competitions, joined José Mourinho’s Manchester United.

This left a huge gap in the squad and forced Tuchel to rely on many young players. Despite the team’s impressive run in the Champions League and the DFB Pokal win—its first trophy in five years—the disagreement between Tuchel and the BVB hierarchy could not be mended, and the manager left his role a few days after the Cup win in Berlin.

What followed were poor decisions both in terms of managerial appointments and player signings. Peter Bosz and Peter Stöger both had short but uninspiring stints. While Lucien Favre steadied the ship and was closely challenging for the title during the 2018/19 season, but he never won the hearts of the BVB faithful. His team was inconsistent and didn’t live up to the quality of the squad at his disposal.

When Edin Terzic took over as interim in the 2020/21 season and guided the club to a DFB Pokal win, there was genuine excitement among fans. Terzic also managed to secure third place in the Bundesliga, and Champions League qualification after the team made a poor start under Favre.

The club decided to hire Marco Rose for the following season, however, before Terzic had proven himself and won the cup. With his short but successful stint, the club decided to keep Terzic around just in case something happened. At the end of Rose’s one-year tenure, during which BVB finished second but performed poorly in Europe, the former Gladbach and Salzburg coach left his role.

Terzic, who was always ready to take on his dream job, took the helm in the summer of 2022. Despite the many questions surrounding Terzic’s tactical prowess and ability to handle such a huge task, he managed to help BVB get closer to the league title than they had been in a decade. A last-minute goal by Jamal Musiala in Bayern Munich's match, snatched the trophy from BVB’s hands as the Black and Yellows drew with Mainz and lost on goal difference.

While the league performance the following season was poor, BVB did manage to reach the Champions League final. But Terzic chose to leave, feeling too little support from those above him. Nuri Şahin, a former BVB player who was working as an assistant coach to Terzic, took over the managerial role—a questionable decision by the BVB board.

It was clear that Şahin was out of his depth; the only thing going for him was the trust of the BVB hierarchy. But after four straight losses in 2025, it was time to pull the trigger.

Now the Black and Yellows are at a crossroads. Years of poor planning and lack of ambition are finally catching up to the club. The man tasked with helping this side live up to its name is Niko Kovac. Former Bayern Munich man had this to say: