Kovac confident Dortmund can still push for title
Niko Kovac has urged his Borussia Dortmund team to attack the second half of the Bundesliga season as they aim to close the gap to leader Bayern Munich.
Dortmund is second on the table and 11 points adrift of Vincent Kompany's side, which equalled a Bundesliga record for its tally after 17 games of a season after downing Koln in midweek.
Dortmund was also involved in midweek action and swept aside Werder Bremen, with Nico Schlotterbeck, Marcel Sabitzer and Serhou Guirassy all on target at Signal Iduna Park.
Kovac's team has not lost a league match since going down 2-1 to Bayern on 19 October (AEDT), but its chances of upending the defending Bundesliga champion at the summit are slim.
Kovac, however, was not counting out his team, saying: "Now it's a matter of consolidating our position and trying to build on it. We want to do that in the first game of the second half of the season.
"But we have to push ourselves. We have to make sure we continue to extend the gap to the teams behind us.
"We have to start the second half of the season well. It's half-time, and we have something to make up for the game in Hamburg. That's why we definitely want three points."
Dortmund captain Schlotterbeck echoed the thoughts of his boss after Dortmund's 3-0 win over Werder Bremen in midweek, which continued the club's rise under Kovac.
Since Kovac came in to replace Nuri Sahin a year ago, only Bayern (25) has won more Bundesliga games than Dortmund (20).
"We're on the right track, but not on a perfect one. We played well against Frankfurt, but we really struggled in the first half against Werder Bremen," Schlotterbeck said.
"We played with more confidence in the second half. We still have a few steps to take, but I think we'll manage that in the coming weeks.
"And then at some point the crucial games will come, as we head towards March and April – and then you have to be ready. In the league, in the Champions League.
"We had a difficult season last year, and the year before that too. Now we're in a pretty good position. If we continue to win games, things are looking pretty good."
