Dortmund bosses to discuss coach Nuri Sahin’s future after yet another defeat

By: Ciarán Fahey, The Associated Press Posted: 6:05 PM CST Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025

Bologna had never won a game in the Champions League before.

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Bologna had never won a game in the Champions League before.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/01/2025 (614 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bologna had never won a game in the Champions League before.

Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 loss to the Italian team Tuesday could be the last for coach Nuri Sahin, who has now overseen four straight defeats this year.

Dortmund sporting director Lars Ricken said after the latest loss that the club’s bosses will meet Wednesday to discuss how to proceed.

Bologna's Thijs Dallinga celebrates after scoring a goal during the Champions League soccer match between Bologna and Dortmund at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium on Bologna, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

“We need wins. We need results. Now we’ve won once in nine games,” said Ricken, who declined to say the club still had faith in Sahin to turn it around.

“I have a very trusting and good relationship with Nuri. He always has my backing, but of course my statements stand,” Ricken said.

Dortmund started 2025 with Bundesliga losses to Bayer Leverkusen (3-2), Holstein Kiel (4-2) and Eintracht Frankfurt (2-0).

Ricken said a decision on Sahin’s future would be made before Dortmund — in 10th place in the Bundesliga — hosts Werder Bremen on Saturday.

“We will discuss what is best for Borussia Dortmund and what the solutions are so that we can get back on the path to success,” Ricken said.

It’s likely to be a painful decision given the now 36-year-old Sahin’s ties to the club.

Sahin was a ball boy at Dortmund before becoming the youngest player to play in the Bundesliga when he made his debut aged 16. He was assistant coach to Edin Terzić last season — when Dortmund reached the Champions League final, losing to Real Madrid — then promoted in the offseason to coach after Terzić quit.

But Sahin has overseen a noticeable downturn this season.

Former Dortmund player and coach Matthias Sammer, now employed by the club as an adviser, harshly criticized the team after Tuesday’s loss.

“If we look at it analytically, this team is physically and mentally in a state of disrepair,” Sammer said. “When you see that (performance) today, you think the foundation isn’t there. Unfortunately the team cannot defend, but it’s also unable to attack.”

Dortmund only scored through a penalty from Serhou Guirassy in the 15th minute. The Guinea star who joined the club in the offseason is nowhere near replicating the brilliant form he displayed at previous club Stuttgart.

Of his seven goals in the Champions League, four were penalties. In the Bundesliga, he has scored seven goals (including two penalties) in 15 appearances so far this season.

Last season, Guirassy scored 28 goals in 28 Bundesliga games for Stuttgart. Four were penalties.

But Guirassy isn’t the only problem. Dortmund has conceded almost as many goals (31) as it has scored (32) in the Bundesliga.

Bologna substitutes Thijs Dallinga and Samuel Iling-Junior scored two goals in two minutes to inflict the team’s third loss in the Champions League.

“If a coaching change fixes all the problems, that’s absolutely no problem for me,” Sahin said afterward. “I’m responsible for the performance we put on. The fact is we’ve lost four games in a row.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer