It is reminiscent of a falling-out at Bayern Munich! Niko Kovac is on a questionable wrong track at Borussia Dortmund
Niko Kovac is planning to use Maximilian Beier as a wing-back at Borussia Dortmund. It is reminiscent of Kovac’s approach at Bayern Munich and is likely once again to deprive an attacking player of his greatest strengths.
Niko Kovac and Maximilian Beier speak often, as the Germany international revealed some time ago. He also said the Borussia Dortmund coach has "made him better".
So far, Beier has made 63 appearances under the Croatian. He has not played more competitive matches under any other coach in his career. In that time, he has returned 16 goals and 14 assists, strong numbers.
Now, according to Ruhr Nachrichten, Beier and Kovac have held another conversation in recent weeks. The outcome could already be seen in Beier's two pre-season friendly appearances this summer against FC Tokyo (1-0) and Arsenal FC (3-2): Kovac plans to use Beier as a left or right wing-back, filling out the back five when Dortmund are out of possession.
Niko Kovac plans to use Maximilian Beier as a wing-back at BVB
Beier already played in that role, exclusively on the left flank, in four of the last six Bundesliga matches of last season. He turned in solid displays there, without swinging too far in either direction. He managed two assists and one goal in those four games.
For Kovac, sticking with that plan is as notable as it is questionable. Beier is unlikely to be especially pleased. "As long as I can remember, I have always been up front and that's simply where I feel most comfortable," Beier said during BVB's trip to Asia. But he prefaced that by saying: "I also really like playing left-back or right-back, just not that often yet, but I could play there too."
If Kovac gets his way, Beier can forget the conditional. He will probably have to come to terms with the wing-back role. The 54-year-old values Beier's work ethic and flexibility. "He is a key player for our team. Someone who can fill several positions. Maxi is a player who puts his own self in the background. He wants to help the team and has also proved that he can perform really well both up front and out wide. I know that Maxi will give everything, no matter where he plays."
What are Maximilian Beier's strengths?
For the coach, and for Beier's "fate", one thing is likely to be decisive: his huge intensity in both directions. Yet that strength becomes a weakness for the former Hoffenheim player if it means he is no longer used where his profile says he should be, in a central attacking role.
"For me, there was only one number there: ten," Beier said many months ago. He was referring to a note Kovac handed to the players after taking charge. They were asked to write down their favourite position. In a front two or as a second striker in the centre and in the half-spaces behind leading striker Serhou Guirassy, that is where Beier sees himself.
By pushing him out to the flank, Kovac makes Beier's runs start from far too deep a base position. He strips away Beier's usual strengths because he is then too far from the opposition goal. His dynamic bursts in behind, his attacks on space in the penalty area and his goal threat cannot be brought out properly that way.
Why Maximilian Beier is not a wing-back
Those qualities stand out quickly, but another of Beier's major strengths is less obvious: his high football intelligence. He makes plenty of clever runs, and his pressing in particular is excellent. He has a great feel for space, good positional sense and consistently works for the team.
At the same time, Beier falls well short of the profile required for a wing-back. Tactical and defensive shortcomings have already shown up in his work going backwards, though that is hardly surprising for a player trained as an attacker. Specific traits such as strong defensive cover, positioning in the line and high-quality crossing from deeper areas are not part of Beier's skill set.
His own displays at wing-back also made clear that Beier is neither a player who gives a team width nor a one-on-one dribbler. He always looks to come inside and find a route into the middle. That is where he wants to be and where he is meant to be because, in a sense, it is his natural habitat. He knows he has a better chance of producing successful actions in central areas.
Niko Kovac's handling of Maximilian Beier is reminiscent of Thomas Müller
Like Thomas Müller once was at Bayern Munich, Beier is an interpreter of space. He reads situations quickly and spots when a pass into the gap is on or when the game can be sped up. With those movements and runs, he makes himself available for a pass or occupies opponents to create space for team-mates. Kovac blunts all of that variety when he uses Beier as an inverted wing-back.
Back then in Munich, Müller played 60 times under him. In 19 of those matches, Kovac used the Bayern stalwart as a right winger in a 4-3-3. The second striker or free No 10 role, which Müller had interpreted so brilliantly before and after that spell, had disappeared under Kovac. Out wide, Müller's strengths eventually faded because he lacked pace and dribbling ability. He then found himself on the bench more and more often under Kovac at the German record champions, leading to the legendary "stopgap" line and the obvious falling-out between coach and player.
Aside from the interpersonal aspect, Beier's situation is not entirely dissimilar. Kovac sacrifices the player's individual instincts to his own loyalty to the system and, in doing so, satisfies his need for defensive security. He rewards Beier's willingness to serve the team with unusual tasks in an unfamiliar position. It speaks to Beier's character that he goes along with it without complaint. Tactically, though, Kovac's ploy still looks like a blind alley.
