Kovac ahead of cup: "Show passion week after week"

1st Bundesliga - Kovac ahead of cup: "Show passion week after week"

Following the poor performance in the 3-1 defeat in Bochum, Wolfsburg coach Niko Kovac defended his team against accusations of a lack of mentality ahead of the DFB Cup round of 16 at Borussia Mönchengladbach. "Now we don't want to overrate the one half in Bochum. You can't say that they didn't put up a fight for 13 matchdays, that wasn't the case," said Kovac ahead of the cup tie on Tuesday (20:45/ARD and Sky). "They've already shown that they can do it."

After the emotionless performance in Bochum, especially in the first half, Kovac himself had strongly criticized his team. "It's about showing more passion," the VfL coach had said. He is now calling for that against Gladbach, where the club from Lower Saxony were thrashed 4-0 in the league three-and-a-half weeks ago. "We can do that. It's crucial that we don't just show that against Leipzig, but also against supposedly lesser opponents. It's about showing passion week in, week out."

Kovac also sees the cup tie on the Lower Rhine, which VfL will not travel to until match day, as an opportunity. "We have a nice game in Gladbach tomorrow. Every individual can show what they can do. You can always use a game like that to maneuver yourself in a different direction," said the Wolfsburg coach. "It's about us being good technically. Then we can also move in the right direction artistically."

Info on the game

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1. Despite the 3-1 loss in Bochum, VfL Wolfsburg's coach, Niko Kovac, refutes claims of a lack of mentality, looking forward to the DFB Cup round of 16 against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
2. Kovac emphasized that his team has shown resilience throughout 13 matchdays, disputing suggestions of an absence of fight.
3. Regarding their previous 4-0 league defeat in Gladbach, Kovac called for improved passion from his squad in the upcoming cup encounter.
4. The Bosnian-born coach expressed his expectation that Wolfsburg will display this passion not only against powerhouses but also against supposedly lesser rivals.
5. In this cup tie at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Kovac perceives an opportunity for his players to prove their individual skills and potentially reshape their trajectory.
6. Kovac underlined the importance of being technically sound, asserting that sound fundamentals can pave the way for artistic success.
7. The match between Wolfsburg and Gladbach, scheduled on a future matchday, will take place in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany.
8. Watching the cup encounter between Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach live will be possible on both ARD and Sky.

Source: www.stern.de