“It is a great honor for me to be able to be the coach of Borussia Dortmund. From day one, we will do everything in our power and with great passion to achieve the greatest possible success.“. On June 14, 2024, Nuri Şahin made his sensational return to eastern Germany following the departure of Edin Terzić, only a few weeks after leading Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final. Expected with open arms by the leaders of the BVB, the man with 274 appearances with the Schwarzgelben, embodying the “young generation“, thus began his second coaching experience after having frequented the bench of the Turkish club Antalyaspor between October 2021 and December 2023. Thus, the former German international returned to his training club with the firm ambition of putting BVB back on top. of the poster on the national scene.
A first heavy setback in the Bundesliga
If the native of Lüdenscheid painfully launched his campaign with a victory against Club Bruges (3-0), certainly wide, but obtained in the last quarter of an hour thanks to the incoming Bynoe-Gittens, Nuri Şahin is already experiencing his first turmoil in the championship. Despite an encouraging start like its inaugural victory against Eintracht Frankfurt (2-0), Borussia Dortmund has already lost valuable points along the way. Held in check by Werder Bremen (0-0) at the end of August, the club based in the Ruhr suffered a heavy setback last weekend against a contender for Europe and direct opponent in the title race, VfB Stuttgart. Swept 5 goals to 1 by the reigning German vice-champions at the MHP Arena, Nuri Şahin experienced his first big disappointment as BvB coach.
And the main person concerned did not want to make excuses. “As a coach, you always try to listen a little or develop a feeling from the last training session: are the boys tired, do they look exhausted? But I didn’t have that feeling at all. The training session took place in very good conditions, even for the boys. The feedback has been very positive. But we are always smarter in hindsight. And the way we behaved today couldn’t be due to physical fatigue or the fact that they had one more day off than us… it’s just not possible. We cannot perform like that. There are a million excuses, but none of them are valid.», admitted the German at a press conference.
Choices that generate tension in the locker room…
In addition to this first hitch which relegates Borussia Dortmund to 5 points behind Bayern Munich, current Bundesliga leader, Nuri Şahin is already starting to tense minds in the yellow and black locker room. According to information reported by Sky Germanyrelations between the German technician and Marcel Sabitzer are at their lowest. An essential part of the BvB squad since his arrival last summer and author of a flamboyant second half of the season with the Borussen, the Austrian international gives the impression of looking for himself on the pitch. Accustomed to playing at the heart of the game under the orders of Edin Terzić, the 30-year-old player takes very badly his repositioning on the right wing by Nuri Şahin, the latter preferring to associate summer recruit Pascal Gross with Emre Can in the midfield . The player who played for Leipzig and Manchester United also declared that he was not satisfied with his new role after the victory against Bruges. A frustration which is illustrated on the field to the extent that the Austrian sorely lacks impact in the construction of the game.
“Sabi feels like this is a topic at every press conference. It is clear that there are critical voices in terms of positioning after such performances. But I don’t need to dwell on that again. I am aware that this is not his best position. But he has already played good games in this position. Sabitzer himself said it clearly a week ago: the position of six is better“, justified Nuri Şahin. The same goes for Nico Schlotterbeck. With the return to form of Niklas Süle, Nico Schlotterbeck was moved to the left lane. However, the German international has to make numerous trips back and forth and his lack of endurance in this position has been felt, as evidenced by the recent statements of Lothar Matthäus towards him. “What has always distinguished Dortmund is that someone comes from behind with speed. Ryerson does it and Bensbaini can do it, but Schlotterbeck isn’t the type to do it», noted the German expert on the antennas of Sky Sport.
Finally, the management of Maximilian Beier also raises questions in the Ruhr. Author of 16 goals in the Bundesliga last season, the German wanted to take a new step in his young career by leaving Hoffenheim for Dortmund. However, the 21-year-old center forward is currently struggling to justify the €30 million paid by Dortmund. Used sporadically by Nuri Şahin (3 appearances in the Bundesliga for a total of 141 minutes), the native of Brandenburg an der Havel drags his spleen to the Ruhr. Despite his versatile profile as a young attacker capable of playing both in the center and on the left wing and bringing the necessary quality with his burst of speed and his playing intelligence to make the Marsupiaux’s offensive play more fluid, the The former Hoffenheim striker is evolving in the shadow of Serhou Guirassy, another flagship BvB recruit. Asked about his case, Nuri Sahin asked his player for patience. “I was one of those who really wanted him and I am very happy that he is with us. But I have to make decisions every week, only 16 players can be used at a time», declared the German coach at a press conference, on the sidelines of the reception in Bochum at the opening of the 5th day of the Bundesliga. Will Nuri Şahin find the right formula in time?
