Nuri Sahin Dismissed as Borussia Dortmund Head Coach

Borussia Dortmund has dismissed Nuri Sahin from his role as head coach following their Champions League loss to Bologna.

The German team has endured four consecutive defeats across all competitions since the winter break.

Their 2-1 setback against the Italian side on Tuesday marked their third loss in this season’s Champions League, following last year’s finals appearance.

Now, Dortmund must win against Shakhtar Donetsk in their final group match and hope for favorable results elsewhere to secure an automatic spot in the last 16.

Three consecutive league losses to kick off 2025 have left them in 10th place in the Bundesliga, seven points adrift of the top four, putting them at risk of missing out on next season’s Champions League.

Sahin, aged 36 and a former player with two terms at the club, expressed, “Regrettably, we haven’t been able to meet Borussia Dortmund’s sporting goals this season. I wish this extraordinary club the best moving forward.”

He took over as Dortmund’s coach in June 2024, succeeding Edin Terzic, who left after their Champions League final loss to Real Madrid.

Sahin previously worked as an assistant to Terzic at the start of 2024, alongside Sven Bender.

“We hold Nuri Sahin and his contributions in high regard. We had hoped for a long-term partnership, and until the end, we believed we could turn things around together,” stated Dortmund’s sporting director, Lars Ricken. “This decision pains me personally, but it became essential after the match in Bologna.”

Nuri Sahin was brought in at the beginning of 2024 to potentially replace Edin Terzic and improve the team’s fortunes. Terzic’s last season closed with Dortmund reaching the Champions League final, yet overall performance last term fell short.

Previously, Terzic positioned the team as underdogs, while Sahin was expected to instill a new identity centered on dominant and tactical possession football.

However, with limited experience—his only previous head coaching role at Antalyaspor in Turkey—Sahin struggled to implement his original ideas and reverted to a more simplistic style of play after an encouraging start to this season.

Dortmund enjoyed substantial possession in many league matches but often failed to create significant scoring opportunities against well-organized defenses.

The team struggled as they approached the Bundesliga’s winter break, where a reset was envisioned.

Sadly, after the three-week hiatus, Dortmund’s performance declined further. They took considerable risks when attacking, with a few defenders left to guard against counter-attacks, leaving them exposed.

Tuesday’s defeat to Bologna, who are not a particularly formidable side, underscored Dortmund’s inability to dictate the flow of matches.

The squad appears to be lacking both mental resilience and physical strength, a sentiment echoed by Matthias Sammer, who currently acts as an advisor to the club, following the game in Bologna.

Sahin will be the sixth manager at Dortmund since 2018. The club’s leadership recognizes that the players are largely to blame, yet their only available course of action at this time was to pursue yet another managerial change.

Aside from Jamie Gittens, an English winger, and midfielder Felix Nmecha, none of the players have stood out this season.

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