Adeyemi enjoying the Kovač effect

The 23-year-old recently ended a run of 10 games without a goal in all competitions for club and country by scoring three times in his last four outings in Black-and-Yellow. Adeyemi’s eye-catching on-field displays even led Kovač to declare that the striking star had been “blessed by God”, when referring to the player’s impressive footballing abilities.

“This is something [the coach] has said to me many times, that I might have a few gifts that not everybody has, but this is something I know myself,” Dortmund’s No. 27 said in an interview with the Bundesliga.

“[However], having these gifts and not doing anything with them is another matter because there are a lot of people who are blessed [with talents] but they don’t use them,” Adeyemi continued. “I try to work hard and to use these gifts in my game.”

Watch: Karim Adeyemi - kissed by God

The former Bayern Munich youth scored with a superbly placed headed goal in a 2-1 win away to Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 12, a victory that took Dortmund above the Werkself into third in the standings. That effort followed further strikes in previous wins over Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League and against VfB Stuttgart in the league.

A recent DFB Cup round of 16 loss to Bayer 04 aside, things have been ticking for BVB under the former Croatia, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayern coach, and Adeyemi was quick to highlight the tactician’s man-management skills at the helm of the five-time Bundesliga champions.

Watch: Adeyemi's wonder-header 

“It's important for me and for a lot of players that we have the relationship we do with the coach because he is an important part, if not the most important part, of the team,” Adeyemi explained. “We're open and honest with each other. If the team doesn't have that connection to him, then it'll be very difficult out on the pitch.

“Of course you play for yourself, but you also want to play for the coach," the forward added. "He's the one who sets the tactics and we have to implement the plan on the pitch, and for this you need to have a good connection. I think he has a good connection to the team and the backroom staff and everyone associated with the club, and this can only be a good thing.”

Since Kovač took up the coaching reins from Nuri Şahin last January, Dortmund have covered significantly more ground and won more duels during the 54-year-old’s tenure. Adeyemi too, has significantly upped his work-rate of late – winning half of his duels in the Leverkusen Bundesliga win alone.

Aiming to close the gap on second-placed RB Leipzig and defending champions and Bundesliga leaders Bayern, Die Schwarzgelben will need every ounce of that energy to halt this season’s away-day specialists Hoffenheim – currently just two points behind Dortmund – this Sunday.

Having netted in his last two Bundesliga games, Adeyemi will also be looking to get on the scoresheet in Germany’s top tier for a third game in a row in what would be a first for the striker since January/February 2023. Should every member of Dortmund’s side be singing from their coach’s hymn sheet on Sunday, it could lead to some significant celebrations inside the Signal Iduna Park on Matchday 13.

“We're lucky to have [Kovač] because we've improved a lot, not only in terms of our football, but also with our fitness, which really helps,” Adeyemi explained.  

“We've only lost one game in the Bundesliga [this season] and even though we've dropped a few unnecessary points, that's how football is. We'll try to win every game up until the winter break and take all the points we can,” the striker – now in his fourth season at BVB – concluded.