Sahin harbors intense dislikes and is in search of the latest Borussia Dortmund
"Not my cup of tea": Nuri Sahin shares his displeasure with Borussia Dortmund's performance after the 0-0 draw against Werder Bremen. Although Nico Schlotterbeck's red card weakened the defense, it was the struggling offense that was the real issue.
Even after some time, Nuri Sahin still seemed frustrated. With a scowl on his face, the BVB manager attended the post-match press conference and tried to explain the unexplainable. Borussia Dortmund's lackluster performance during the 0-0 draw against Werder Bremen left a bad taste in the coach's mouth - the "new BVB" has become a mystery when it comes to their attacking game.
"We played a terrible first half, both with and without the ball. I couldn't stand it," Sahin grumbled. "Lackluster, too narrow in our approach" was how he described his team's performance. And this wasn't an isolated incident this season: The BVB have hardly posed a threat lately.
The BVB had already shown flaws in their game in the cup match against Phoenix Lübeck (4-1) and in parts in the ultimately successful Bundesliga opener against Eintracht Frankfurt (2-0). In Bremen, there was a step back in their admittedly short season so far.
"If we keep our heads," Sahin said, "we've been good this season - but the 'common idea' of playing football that I want to instill is still too rarely seen." The coach is well aware of this. The "process" that the team is going through, Sahin said, "must of course pick up speed - as Borussia Dortmund, we need to learn to look different, even if the team has been restructured."
The BVB has not yet lost patience or faith in the man on the sidelines, who took over as head coach after Edin Terzic's departure in the summer. Sporting director Sebastian Kehl also referred to the "process" that the new team is going through, while midfield maestro Pascal Groß praised his coach's work. "He prepares us brilliantly. We always have a clear game plan and he's fully dedicated," Groß said.
And there was a small glimmer of positivity to take away from this dull BVB display in Bremen: the fighting spirit was impeccable. After Nico Schlotterbeck's sending off midway through the second half, the BVB almost had their best spell, mainly due to some aggressive defending.
But it can't and shouldn't just be about fighting spirit in the coming weeks. Without an improvement in their play, Borussia risks falling behind in the unusually open title race early in the season. Perhaps the two-week international break comes at just the right time - although the Dortmund players will have a hard time intensively working on their shortcomings during the break, as so many of them will be away on international duty.
Nuri Sahin's disappointment with Borussia Dortmund's performance was evident after the draw against Werder Bremen, as he mentioned the team's struggling offense being the real issue. Despite the impact of Nico Schlotterbeck's red card, the coach lamented the team's lackluster approach and poor attacking game, which hasn't improved significantly since the start of the season.
