Borussia Dortmund face more than 11,000 kilometres of travel for three away matches in just six days. First came a trip to the far north of Norway, where they lost 1-0 (0-0) to Bodö/Glimt on Wednesday evening in their second Champions League match of the season. Next they visit the capital to face Union Berlin on Saturday, before travelling to distant Azerbaijan to play Sabah FK next Tuesday.
"No team in the world can get through a schedule involving travel like this with the same eleven players. That's why we made changes today," Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac told DAZN before the Bodö/Glimt match. He had made five changes to the starting line-up from last Friday's 2-2 draw against Werder Bremen.
Defensive leader Nico Schlotterbeck, who has only just recovered from another ankle injury, stayed at home altogether as a precaution. Ramy Bensebaini took his place in the back three. Kovac also brought in Konstantinos Karetsas for Ethan Nwaneri and Samuele Inacio for Marcel Sabitzer. More surprisingly, Joey Veerman and Fabio Silva started instead of Felix Nmecha and Serhou Guirassy.
Borussia Dortmund: Niko Kovac's artificial-turf plan backfires
"I hope we've made good changes," Kovac added with a smile. They hadn't. Dortmund's coaching staff had high hopes for what Karetsas and Inacio in particular could bring in attack on Bodö's unfamiliar surface. "I think smaller players cope better on artificial turf, so today we've gone with Kosta, Samuele and Fabio as well, because they're better suited to moving on the artificial turf here," Kovac explained before kick-off.
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Kovac's plan to create attacking thrust through Karetsas, Inacio and Silva, all quicker and more agile than the alternatives, backfired. The two highly gifted 18-year-olds, Karetsas and Inacio, looked particularly out of place. Dortmund couldn't get them into positions to use their strengths in one-on-ones or quick combinations in tight spaces. As the match wore on, the effect Kovac had hoped for from his surface-driven selection faded.
What did Niko Kovac criticise after Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 defeat at Bodö/Glimt?
"We didn't do well with the ball at all; the opposition were much quicker," Kovac said. His assessment pointed to what Nmecha and Nwaneri's dynamism, and Guirassy's physical presence, might have offered from the start. Bodö/Glimt had "attacked the space behind much better than we did. We played everything to feet, nothing behind the defensive line. And you can't unsettle an opponent like that," Kovac said.
After a difficult first half, Kovac made no changes at the break. Dortmund then lost their grip on the game entirely as the hosts grew increasingly dangerous. Fredrik Sjövold scored the deserved opener in the 52nd minute. It proved to be the winner.
"We were always a step too late and weren't assertive enough. That was nowhere near enough; that was the problem today," centre-back Waldemar Anton told DAZN afterwards. Kovac agreed: "We weren't in the game at all until after we conceded. We didn't play with the passion and intensity in the first half that we needed to win here." After an hour, he finally made four substitutions.
Felix Nmecha and company give Borussia Dortmund a different dynamism
Those changes gave Dortmund immediate dynamism and purpose. Nmecha led the way, threatening goal and making the runs in behind that the team had sorely missed. He drove Dortmund forward and made more of an impact in his first few minutes than the disappointing Veerman had in an hour. Guirassy's physicality gave Bodö's defenders a different problem from Silva, while Ryerson and Nwaneri offered more attacking thrust than Karetsas and Inacio.
Getty ImagesAt last, Dortmund unsettled the Norwegian defence as Kovac had hoped they would from the first minute. "In the second half, you could see that it's possible when we do it better," the Borussia Dortmund coach said through gritted teeth. "It was only after the four substitutions that we got into the game better and took control," he continued. Anton also stressed: "After we conceded, we started playing football."
Despite the travel demands, Dortmund's disappointment at Bodö/Glimt makes extensive rotation unlikely for the rest of their week of away matches. "Every single player in our squad has the quality to play," Kovac insisted, before accepting responsibility: "It didn't work today, and I take responsibility for that. I picked the team."