Borussia Dortmund chief backs Kovac amid criticism

Borussia Dortmund's managing director for sport, Lars Ricken, has dismissed reports suggestions that Niko Kovac's work as head coach is increasingly being questioned within the club.

A recent report even claimed that Kovac indirectly has a negative impact on the club's chances of extending Nico Schlotterbeck's contract, suggesting that the centre-back is not a fan of the coach's playing style.

Ricken, however, made it clear that Kovac is “totally respected by the squad and within the club”.

“Of course, a lot is written during every international break. We remain completely relaxed. Because all of us at BVB are 100 percent convinced by Niko Kovac. The final sprint of last season was sensationally successful – thanks to Niko Kovac,” Ricken told WAZ.

“We’ve conceded the second-fewest goals in the Bundesliga and scored the third-most goals out of 36 teams in the Champions League. We want to continue the positive development we’ve made under his leadership,” added the BVB boss.

“We also know that we haven’t convinced in every game over the past few weeks. But the strain of playing six out of seven away games within three weeks, including midweek fixtures, was extremely high. And still, we scored four goals in Copenhagen and registered almost 30 shots against Köln.”