Bundesliga – Nuri Sahin on probation: win or fly

It was already approaching midnight when Nuri Sahin adopted a fatalistic tone. The question that arose in the black-washed press room of the Frankfurt Arena was what the ultimatum that had just been formulated by managing director Lars Ricken would do to the coach of Borussia Dortmund. »My personal well-being is secondary. “I’m trying to stay clear and turn the situation around,” said the 36-year-old in a calm voice. »An endgame? I know how business works. Until the last day that I am coach of Borussia Dortmund, I will try to move forward and turn things around.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBR62qYwfHk

If a beacon of hope who was only installed in the summer formulates such slogans for perseverance on his own behalf, there is imminent danger. The highest black and yellow alert level means that Ricken should already deal with other coaching candidates after the blow to the neck at Eintracht Frankfurt (0:2).

One of them is likely to be Erik ten Haag, who recently saw some Dortmund performances live. The Dutchman, who has been released from Manchester United, is particularly highly regarded by BVB advisor Matthias Sammer, who worked with ten Haag when he was in charge of FC Bayern’s U23s. The 54-year-old then successfully coached FC Utrecht and Ajax Amsterdam before, like so many at the Red Devils, he failed to finally impart consistency to a squad that was difficult to access.

A similar herculean task would await him at Borussia Dortmund: the Champions League finalist is out of the DFB Cup and has disappeared into the bottom half of the table in the Bundesliga – if progress in the premier class is still shaky, the usual mechanisms will take effect. Ricken was shocked when he said on Friday evening: “We lost three games in a row. It’s frustrating. The table situation is disastrous, no question about it.”

In the second half, the team – unlike the oath of revelation at Holstein Kiel (2:4) – at least stood up and showed “that they don’t just support the coach in terms of language,” said Ricken. That’s why Sahin will now sit on the bench at FC Bologna (Tuesday 9 p.m./Prime Video). The decisive postscript: “With the clear expectation that we will achieve victories and results.” The coach was informed about this. For the inexperienced coach, the motto for the next business trip is: win or fly. When trust in a single game dwindles, it rarely ends well.

Regardless of the showdown on Italian soil, those responsible should know that the problems lie much deeper, but they like to distract attention from their own failures. In particular, sports director Sebastian Kehl, who, after a short statement on the Sahin case (“We will continue in the constellation. Nuri has the trust”), worked extensively on allegedly missed penalties. Referee Daniel Schlager was right with his generous refereeing because he didn’t fall for Serhou Guirassy’s histrionics. Maybe Jamie Gitten could have gotten a penalty, but in times of crisis an accident rarely happens alone, as veteran Pascal Groß reported: “If things go wrong, you don’t get whistled for things like that.”

The performance in the first round, which Sahin perceived as “very cerebral,” was particularly disturbing. Dortmund resembles a large construction site like in downtown Frankfurt, where nothing is progressing. In the sporting area with Ricken, Kehl and scouting boss Sven Mislintat, the responsibilities may have been clarified, but the result is a squad that is far too expensive and lacks speed and moments of surprise. Afterwards, Waldemar Anton noted that, unlike his colleagues, he was familiar with “such situations” from his time at Hannover 96 and VfB Stuttgart. The national player probably still had the chants of the Eintracht team in his ears, who mocked Dortmund for being relegated.

The situation in the league is not as bad as in the farewell season under Jürgen Klopp, when Borussia actually overwintered as second to last, but there is currently no imagination as to how this ensemble can still compete for the Champions League places. Eintracht is eleven points away. Sahin was very impressed by what his colleague Dino Toppmöller was able to achieve in a year and a half, even though, as is well known, it took a bumpy start to the season. The young coach would also like to see such a leap of faith. “I hope that one day I’ll sit here and say the same thing.” However, that didn’t sound credible or convincing.