Criticized coach Sahin defends himself against criticism of the game system

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• After their third Bundesliga defeat in a row, Borussia Dortmund are already six points off a Champions League place.
• Coach Nuri Sahin has come in for particular criticism at the tenth-placed team. TV pundits Didi Hamann and Mario Basler, in particular, have come out swinging against the young coach.
• Sahin defends himself against the attacks. But in order to prevent a swift end to his club of the heart, he has to turn things around quickly.
• On Tuesday evening, points are needed away against Bologna in the Champions League.

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Borussia Dortmund lost 2:0 to Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday evening. It is already the third defeat in the Bundesliga in a row. The last time the proud Revierclub experienced such a negative streak was in November 2017.

After a completely botched Bundesliga start to 2025 (still no points), the danger level is at its highest. Managing director Lars Ricken has once again given him a job guarantee - but explicitly only until Tuesday, when the reeling Borussia face FC Bologna in the Champions League(live from 9pm on blue Sport). "It's his responsibility and ours that we have to do our best for Borussia. Nuri will be on the bench in Bologna with the clear expectation that we now need wins and a sense of achievement," said Ricken.

In the era following cult coach Jürgen Klopp, coaches such as Peter Bosz, Lucien Favre, Marco Rose and Edin Terzic have had to leave their posts with significantly better results. Sahin's great credit already seems to have been used up after a weak six months.

Basler shoots sharply against BVB coach

The young coach has little or no credit with some former soccer greats. Didi Hamann said: "Borussia Dortmund is not a job for learning." And Mario Basler recently criticized Sahin on the show "Doppelpass": "He has zero charisma, he sinks into himself. You can't really take him seriously." For Basler, Sahin "did everything wrong from the start" in Dortmund.

From a tactical point of view, Basler criticized BVB for wanting to play too tightly out from the back and thus creating dangerous situations in front of their own goal. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel plays an important role in the high-risk build-up play - and sometimes despairs because there are no passing options.

Sporting director Kehl defended himself afterwards and described Basler's statements as "inappropriate, disrespectful and simply wrong". Sahin also hit back publicly. He is against relying on his risky system out of principle.

Sahin defends himself - Bologna as a game of destiny?

"If you talk to real football experts, they'll tell you that playing through the third is a basic principle and makes life much easier against a man-to-man defense - it has nothing to do with being stubborn," the 36-year-old insists. Especially as many long balls are often returned quickly, explains Sahin.

Whether the truth lies more with the TV experts or with Sahin remains to be seen. In the end, Sahin and BVB will have to put in a solid performance in Bologna to prevent his quick exit as head coach of the club close to his heart.