Only 13 points after 8 games – that is BVB’s weakest Bundesliga start since the 2014/15 season. In addition, for the first time in 35 years, Dortmund only managed one point after four away games. On top of that, the team was knocked out of the second round of the DFB Cup, meaning that their first chance at a title has already been lost.
Three aspects that show how things are going for Borussia Dortmund at the end of October. At the center of the criticism: coach Nuri Sahin.
Especially after the 5-2 thrashing in the Champions League at Real Madrid – after leading 2-0 at half-time – and a few anemic Bundesliga appearances by his team before that, there are already calls in Dortmund fan circles for the dismissal of Nuri Sahin as BVB coach.
Will Sahin be dismissed by BVB?
Nuri Sahin joined Borussia Dortmund as an assistant coach last winter and took over from head coach Edin Terzic in the summer.
Cynics might claim that Terzic, the trainee coach, was followed by Sahin, the apprentice coach. They might not be wrong if you look at how Sahin coached the CL game at Real Madrid and lost it.
The first four away appearances of this Bundesliga season are tantamount to a sporting declaration of bankruptcy: 1:5 at VfB Stuttgart and 1:2 at Union Berlin and FC Augsburg respectively. As of the end of October, BVB was the third-worst away team in the league (1 draw, 3 losses / 3:9 goals).
These numbers prove that he is not able to consistently play at a high level.
A clear game idea is not really recognizable under his leadership, as regular changes in defense and midfield show. In addition, there are questionable experiments, such as setting up defensive midfielder Marcel Sabitzer as a right winger.
A leadership structure after the departures of Mats Hummels, Marco Reus and Niclas Füllkrug is also not recognizable. The newcomers like Waldemar Anton and Pascal Groß were leaders at their ex-clubs, but they don’t play regularly in Dortmund. And captain Emre Can has been controversial in terms of performance not only since this season.
All this basically speaks for an early dismissal of Sahin.
Confidence in the young coach could also continue to crumble if there is no significant improvement in performance in the next competitive matches before the international break in mid-November. Because then it should also become clear which direction the Black & Yellows are heading in.
In Dortmund, the rule of thumb is always: if the Champions League is in jeopardy, it’s going to be tough for the coach.
What speaks against a Sahin sacking at Dortmund
Whether it will really come to an early BVB sacking of Nuri Sahin?
It’s hard to imagine that, because then the people in charge at the club – club boss Hans-Joachim Watzke, sports director Lars Ricken and sports director Sebastian Kehl – would have to admit to themselves that they made a serious mistake. That’s not going to happen. At least not yet.
The BVB triumvirate, including advisor Matthias Sammer, has expressed its confidence in Nuri Sahin. Apparently, they are counting on a longer collaboration with the young coach and are willing to accept defeats.
The question remains: for how much longer?
Another aspect that speaks against Nuri Sahin’s dismissal. He would be the next in the BVB coaching cemetery.
The black-and-yellow prima ballerina troupe has not really got along with any coach in recent years – not with Edin Terzic (despite winning the cup and reaching the CL final), not with Marco Rose, not with Peter Bosz or Peter Stöger, and not with Thomas Tuchel either.
With a Sahin dismissal, the team would once again show that the problem is actually with them – and less with the coach. No matter how much he falls into the “apprentice” category like Sahin.
In the event of a dismissal: Who would be a Sahin successor?
If there is going to be a Sahin dismissal at BVB soon, who could be his successor? The BVB bosses will also think about this before pulling the rip cord.
One coach who has caused a sensation in recent years with an underdog team with limited abilities – that’s all Dortmund are at the moment, even if some would like to see them at the level of Bayern Munich – is Urs Fischer.
The Swiss coach was at Union Berlin from 2018 to 2023 and led the Irons from the 2nd Bundesliga to the Champions League. With his calm manner and experience, he could steer the black-and-yellow ship back into calmer waters.
Another BVB candidate in the event of Nuri Sahin’s dismissal could be Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman has recently been unsuccessful at Manchester United, but before that he was very successful at Ajax Amsterdam.
Fun Fact: Dortmund consultant Matthias Sammer brought ten Haag to FC Bayern during his time at Bayern – as a coach for the second team. Will Sammer now bring him to BVB as Sahin’s successor?
One German option as the new BVB coach, if it comes to Nuri Sahin being fired, would be Roger Schmidt, who was most recently at Benfica Lisbon and became most there in 2023. Across all competitions, he can show an average of 2.26 points from these times – plus Bundesliga experience with Bayer Leverkusen.
Or are the BVB bosses being completely unimaginative by bringing Edin Terzic back as Sahin’s successor…
