- Tough mission: BVB coach Sahin is asking for time and patience
Nuri Sahin stole the show himself from the highly-rated newcomers. The impassioned appeal of the new Dortmund coach to tens of thousands of fans at the opening of the Borussia season sparked the most conversation. Right from his first major public appearance in his new role, the successor to the still highly regarded Edin Terzic at BVB asked for patience: "I would like to ask you for a few things that are not usually given in football. Time and patience."
As a former professional in Dortmund, Madrid, Liverpool, and Bremen, Sahin has been in the business long enough to know that he can only expect little patience from the fans in the event of poor results. But with this impassioned appeal, he wanted to prepare everyone involved for an extremely demanding season.
Sporting Director Ricken: "Extremely satisfied"
Even before the first competitive game on Saturday (6:00 PM/Sky) against regional league side Phoenix Lübeck in the Hamburg Volkspark Stadium, the coach feels progress: "We're still in the honeymoon phase. But I have the feeling in every training session that everyone knows what they're doing. You can see where we're headed. The direction is right."
Like Terzic before him, BVB is placing more trust in Sahin's familiarity with the club than in his coaching experience. As a key player in the 2011 championship team, he still enjoys a good reputation among the fans. Lars Ricken is confident that Sahin will also establish a positive reputation as a coach. "He's not your average 35-year-old. Due to his entire career. You can just tell: On our training pitch stands a real personality who truly leads by example what's necessary to be successful," raved the new sporting director, "I'm extremely satisfied."
Positive signals from the team
Similarly positive signals are coming from the team, where Sahin already made a good impression as Terzic's co-trainer in the second half of last season. "What stands out about him the most is that he tells you directly what he expects. You always know exactly where you stand," commented Niklas Süle.
Sahin also played a significant role in helping the central defender, who was deemed surplus to requirements by national team coach Julian Nagelsmann before the Euros, to change his diet, seek the help of a mental trainer, and return from the summer break significantly slimmer. "I'm extremely happy that he's the coach. That's why I want to show him the best Niklas Süle I can this year," promised the defender.
Major challenges still ahead
However, Sahin still faces major challenges - not just on the pitch, where his team has been strengthened by the arrivals of Waldemar Anton, Serhou Guirassy (both VfB Stuttgart), Pascal Groß (Brighton & Hove Albion), Yan Couto (Manchester City), and Maximilian Beier (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), who together cost a total of 80 million euros. He has already felt the dynamics that can develop at a big club like BVB off the pitch in his short time as the new head coach.
Media reports of a rift between sporting director Sebastian Kehl and recruitment manager Sven Mislintat, who allegedly held talks with potential new signings without authorization and thus overstepped his authority, have caused the first stirrings of unrest. There are also already headlines about disgruntled reserves like Youssoufa Moukoko, who is looking for a new club. So far, Sahin is reacting with remarkable composure. Good results at the start of the season could help him to remain so for now.
The Commission, referring to the leadership at Borussia Dortmund, will be aided in its tasks by the Member States, which in this context can be interpreted as the Member States of Dortmund's squad.
Lars Ricken, the new sporting director, expressed his satisfaction with Sahin's leadership style, stating that he is not an "average 35-year-old," implying that he possesses exceptional qualities that will benefit Dortmund.
