Last summer, Eintracht Frankfurt needed a dramatic relegation play-off triumph over 1. FC Nürnberg to preserve their status as a Bundesliga club. Just 8 months on, Niko Kovac’s team sit in fifth place in Germany’s top division and readying themselves for a DFB Cup quarter final encounter with Arminia Bielefeld (18:30 CET). In an exclusive interview with DFB.de, the 45-year old discussed the emotional extremes that come with Bundesliga management, the pitfalls of the subjunctive and why he would rather not have a penalty shootout in the next round of the cup.
DFB.de: When you took over at Eintracht Frankfurt, they were sat in the bottom third of the table. Are you yourself surprised by the team’s current position?
Niko Kovac: These results could not have been predicted. But more than the team’s place in the league table, I am interested in their development as a team – seeing that much has given me great pleasure.
DFB.de: How have you managed to get the team back to winning ways?
Kovac: It was no work of magic, special trick or anything of that kind. We have all shown the willingness to work hard together and pushed ourselves to get back on the right track. During the end of last season we focused on building greater stability, but at the start of this season we started to further develop our play on the ball. My colleagues and I have applied an academic approach in many aspects and the team work in the staff has also been a big factor.
DFB.de:Your team were in line to be relegated until the 66th minute of the second leg against Nürnberg. Can you describe how the pressure of that situation felt?
Kovac: No, I cannot describe it. However, I am a positive-thinking guy. I always had faith in my team to turn things around, and faith can move mountains.
DFB.de: Would you have stayed on to try and get promoted out of the 2. Bundesliga had things gone the other way?
Last summer, Eintracht Frankfurt needed a dramatic relegation play-off triumph over 1. FC Nürnberg to preserve their status as a Bundesliga club. Just 8 months on, Niko Kovac’s team sit in fifth place in Germany’s top division and readying themselves for a DFB Cup quarter final encounter with Arminia Bielefeld (18:30 CET). In an exclusive interview with DFB.de, the 45-year old discussed the emotional extremes that come with Bundesliga management, the pitfalls of the subjunctive and why he would rather not have a penalty shootout in the next round of the cup.
DFB.de: When you took over at Eintracht Frankfurt, they were sat in the bottom third of the table. Are you yourself surprised by the team’s current position?
Niko Kovac: These results could not have been predicted. But more than the team’s place in the league table, I am interested in their development as a team – seeing that much has given me great pleasure.
DFB.de: How have you managed to get the team back to winning ways?
Kovac: It was no work of magic, special trick or anything of that kind. We have all shown the willingness to work hard together and pushed ourselves to get back on the right track. During the end of last season we focused on building greater stability, but at the start of this season we started to further develop our play on the ball. My colleagues and I have applied an academic approach in many aspects and the team work in the staff has also been a big factor.
DFB.de:Your team were in line to be relegated until the 66th minute of the second leg against Nürnberg. Can you describe how the pressure of that situation felt?
Kovac: No, I cannot describe it. However, I am a positive-thinking guy. I always had faith in my team to turn things around, and faith can move mountains.
DFB.de: Would you have stayed on to try and get promoted out of the 2. Bundesliga had things gone the other way?
Kovac: The German language’s subtleties make answering that difficult. The subjunctive here, for example. You ask me now, looking back, whether I would stay, I can answer that I would have done. Would the club have wanted me to, though? I only like to talk about things that I know have an answer. It is not something on my mind these days.
DFB.de: The job of being a Bundesliga coach is a mixed one – a year on from taking the job, what has been the biggest surprise relative to your expectations going in?
Kovac: There is not very much that can surprise you in this job. All of it is very varied. I work closely with my coaching staff and because of that we share the burden. We work collectively as a unit and also in our respective specialty areas.
DFB.de: Half a year since your relegation battle, you are now being praised from all sides for your work. How emotional and heavy are the extremes of life as a Bundesliga head coach?
Kovac: If you have an environment that is surrounded by truth as to the kind of person you are, things are not so difficult. I am the same now as I was a year ago.
DFB.de: Joy and sorrow also often go hand-in-hand in the DFB Cup. How much are you anticipating the competition?
Kovac: As the saying goes, the Cup is the quickest route into Europe. I love the challenges that the Cup presents and I really enjoy it as a competition.
DFB.de: As a player you won the trophy with FC Bayern in 2003. What memories do you have of that success?
Kovac: It was a real high point of the season. Not just the game, but the party afterwards…
DFB.de: Will you tell your team about the feelings that came from your experiences as a means of motivation?
Kovac: Perhaps if we make it to the semi final. For now we have the quarter finals to get through.
DFB.de: What do you need to be successful in the DFB Cup?
Kovac: Clinical and effective football above all else, but also a bit of luck on your side of course.
DFB.de: Would you like to repeat the experience of winning the cup as a manager?
Kovac: Am I supposed to answer no to that?
DFB.de: Do you believe that your team can win the Cup this year? What aims do you have from the competition?
Kovac:We are in the quarter finals at the moment. We have to show respect for our opposition. Although they are in the second tier and we are favourites, we have to approach this game like we would every other.
DFB.de: Eintracht needed penalties to beat Madgeburg and Ingolstadt, but your team held their nerve from the spot. Do you see that as a strength that your team can call on to swing games in their favour as you go further in the Cup?
Kovac: There is also the point here that you should not find yourself relying on fortune to win games. In Hannover, too, there was drama late on with a penalty but our goalkeeper got us out of it. Truthfully, though, I would rather avoid penalties this time.
DFB.de: In the round of 16 against Hannover your team needed to overcome a deficit to win the game. How did you find the game?
Kovac: We played a tough opposition in their own stadium, somewhere it is almost impossible to play a high level of football to win the game. I was pleased with how we played.
DFB.de: How are you looking to approach the game?
Kovac: We have to be on the front foot from the very start. To that end, an early goal would really help the cause, but that is always the case.
DFB.de: How does the idea of a sold out Olympiastadion on the 27th of May sound to you?
Kovac: That is one for the two teams involved.
