'Nervous' Jobe Bellingham defended by Niko Kovac after 'bad passes' in Borussia Dortmund win as tension between family and club leaves midfielder feeling the pressure

Dortmund maintain their unbeaten streak in the 2025-26 season by beating Athletic Club 4-1 in the Champions League. Bellingham was handed a rare start by head coach Kovac, but was hooked after just 69 minutes following an underwhelming performance in midfield. The Dortmund boss, however, came to the youngster's defence after the game. 

Speaking to BILD after the game, Kovac said: "Sure, he made one or two bad passes. But the boy is 20, and there's a lot of nervousness. I think he did well; he was agile, counter-pressed, and used his mass to block one or two opponents. I was very pleased with his performance. We don't want to see everything so negatively; on the contrary: I see a lot of positives. But he's 20, and we can still improve a lot."

According to BILD, Bellingham is feeling "massively insecure" and "under pressure" because of his parents. On Wednesday, father Mark and mother Denise were photographed sitting in the West Stand of the Signal Iduna Park. However, unlike their previous appearances, the couple weren't seated together. Instead, a family friend sat between the two.

All doesn't seem to be well between the 20-year-old's family and the club. Back in August, Mark, who is also Jobe's advisor, stormed the stadium and confronted Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl as well as coach Kovac to express his unhappiness over his son's substitution at half-time against St. Pauli. 

Managing director Lars Ricken cleared the air in the following days and confirmed that there wasn't any rift between Bellingham's parents and the club. Afterward, Kehl was reported to have had a phone call with Bellingham senior, during which the duo reached a resolution after the former warned that family members will not be granted access to the tunnel area or the locker room.

After a brilliant Club World Cup and pre-season, it seemed like it was a matter of time before Bellingham stamped his place in the Dortmund starting lineup. Kovac, however, has urged patience with the "very talented" midfielder as he adjusts to the demands of a top-five European league following his move from England’s second tier. In eight games this season, Bellingham has been named in the XI just thrice, with his start against Bilbao coming after he started four consecutive games on the bench.