Borussia Dortmund‘s crisis continues. On Tuesday, Nuri Sahin‘s team was eliminated from the DFB Cup. The calls for a change of coach are getting louder – but giving in to this impulse would be fatal. Instead, BVB should carry out an honest error analysis.
The declaration of loyalty was to be expected – and there is no alternative. “Nothing” has changed as a result of the elimination from the DFB Cup in terms of how long Nuri Sahin will stay, said BVB sports director Sebastian Kehl: “We will stand together. We’ll go through this together.” Even after the first chance of a title was wasted on Tuesday evening at VfL Wolfsburg, the coach is not being questioned.
If Kehl had shown even the slightest doubt, Sahin would have had no chance of achieving the turnaround. That will be difficult anyway: the cup exit, sealed by a late goal shortly before the end of extra time, was the fourth defeat in the fifth competitive game in a row. It was the fifth away defeat in a row across all competitions.
BVB is, without question, in a massive crisis. Even if the performance in Wolfsburg was at least better in terms of combat than last time, the reflex to call for a change of coach is hardly surprising.
The old man out there
But what would such a measure achieve? In any case, parting with Sahin so early would be extremely risky. It could result in chaos. There is no question that the coach also played his part in the undesirable developments of the past few weeks.
Sahin sent the wrong signal to the players through substitutions and changes in the 5-2 defeat in the Champions League at Real Madrid. Even in the previous weeks, the 36-year-old’s frequent system changes hadn’t exactly helped the team, which was changed in important positions in the summer, find its feet.
But the core of the problem is not the coach – and hasn’t been in recent years either. On the contrary: the high fluctuation on the sidelines that BVB has experienced over the last decade has had a rather negative impact on the team’s development. At the same time, the players were given alibis. True to the motto: Why should I be excessively self-critical when it’s always the old man out there who is to blame?
Of course: every crisis must be reassessed. In relation to the current situation, this also means questioning why BVB started the season with only three central defenders and three full-backs? It was a good purchase: Serhou Guirassy is a playful center forward who is good for the team. Pascal Groß is a ball-safe strategist who can organize the game. With Waldemar Anton came a central defender whose abilities there are no two opinions about and with Maxi Beier a promising offensive talent. But mistakes were also made that are currently catching up with Dortmund. In Wolfsburg, Sahin had to improvise in several positions. Of course, it is also debatable whether Emre Can is an ideal captain for this team.
All of these topics must be analyzed honestly – and conclusions must be drawn from them in terms of content, not necessarily personnel. If you want to make it easy for yourself, you can of course also argue: “No further development of the team? Coach out! Error in squad planning? Sports director out!” But that wouldn’t advance BVB one millimeter.
Lots of cooks
In fact, one problem lies in the fact that the club’s management structure is diffuse: Hans-Joachim Watzke appointed Lars Ricken as sports director, thereby damaging Kehl, who had also had hopes of a promotion. He brought Sven Mislintat back as a squad planner, even though he doesn’t get along well with Kehl. Kehl’s contract expires. That leaves room for speculation. And then there is Matthias Sammer as a consultant who has his own opinion on everything and expresses it publicly.
BVB should also use the current crisis to finally create clarity on important questions instead of plunging into a new adventure with a new coach.
