"Harmony isn't always best": Is Niko Kovac stirring up tension at BVB?

Kruse, who played just five competitive matches under Kovac during his time at VfL Wolfsburg and has already spoken out against him on several occasions, explained: "He doesn't get on well with people like me. He wants to be the alpha male and have players who do exactly as he says. Everyone is different, everyone has different traits and everyone simply has to be handled differently. If you don't understand that as a manager, it's usually difficult."

The 38-year-old explained why he never gelled with the Croatian coach. "I knew Niko Kovac from his previous clubs. I knew what kind of person he is, what he looks for and what is very important to him. I realised relatively early on that it wasn't going to work," said Kruse. 

That is why the striker wanted to leave as soon as Kovac replaced Florian Kohfeldt: "I returned to VfL Wolfsburg mainly for Florian Kohfeldt, and of course the money played a role; that's no secret. Without Kohfeldt, I wouldn't have returned at all. When he left, that was the first turning point. Then Niko Kovac arrived—someone I couldn't identify with. It became clear very quickly: this wasn't going to work, one way or another."

Kruse revealed that he had initially met Kovac for a meal to discuss their mutual expectations. "That's why I indicated early on that it would be good to find a solution. The club initially dismissed the idea, replying: 'Why don't you have a chat with Niko Kovac first?'" he said.

"We actually went for a meal together once and had a chat. It wasn't bad at all, I must say. We both outlined what we expected from each other. He asked, 'What do you need from me?' I replied, 'I don't need anything from you. I just need trust. Give me your trust and you'll get the performance you want.' On the first matchday, I was on the bench – and just like that, the trust was gone.'

Kovac was irritated by Kruse's daily commute from Berlin to Wolfsburg. "He naturally wanted me to rent a place in Wolfsburg. I considered it, but I just couldn't be bothered. I was getting on a bit, and my wife lived in Berlin," the 14-time international explained.

The 14-time international even dozed off at the VfL training ground on occasion because of the grind. "Logistically, I handled it well," he now says. "But of course, the trains had other ideas. I didn't want to be late, so I always caught an earlier train and often arrived at the facility by 8 a.m."

He adds, "Anyone who knows my lifestyle knows that sometimes I didn't get to bed until four or five in the morning, or sometimes didn't sleep at all, and then had to catch the train at six. So I'd just get an hour's sleep before training. But in the end, it doesn't matter: if you deliver, if you perform, then no one can really complain."

As noted, this is not the first time Kruse has taken a dig at the 54-year-old. When Kovac's appointment at BVB was announced, Kruse couldn't resist a bit of banter: "He's my favourite choice for Dortmund, so the club can finally realise what a crisis really means. All that peace, joy and sunshine will be over," he explained on his podcast Flatterball, which he runs with Martin Harnik, adding: "Anyone who wants to put themselves through that can go ahead. But I very much doubt it will be a success."

In March 2024, Kruse described Kovac as an "absolute disaster" in terms of character and claimed he treated players in an "anti-social" way.