It has been over 10 years since Borussia Dortmund won back-to-back Bundesliga titles. While they have had some minor achievements, like winning the German Cup in 2017 and 2021 and reaching the Champions League final last season, these successes have only increased the hopes of their long-suffering fans by showing what the team can do.
With the return of former player Nuri Sahin as coach, this season is already starting to feel like previous ones. Before the international break, Dortmund had a big 7-1 victory over Scottish champions Celtic in the Champions League but then lost 2-1 to Union Berlin in the Bundesliga.
So far, they have only won half of their six league games, including a heavy 5-1 loss to Stuttgart, which raised concerns about their league goals.
Sahin thinks it’s too soon to worry. “To start doubting our path after six match days would be fatal. And we won’t do that,” he stated. “Despite criticism, it is my job to always offer solutions, to show the solutions, and to improve things together with the guys.” He expressed strong confidence in the club’s direction.
Sahin is the seventh coach for Dortmund since Jürgen Klopp left in 2015. Klopp led the team to back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012 and had runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2014.
However, the team’s form fell apart during the 2014-15 season, and they struggled to regain their former strength. The closest they came to breaking Bayern Munich’s dominance was in 2023 when they missed the chance to win the Bundesliga on the last day of the season while Edin Terzić was in charge.
Terzić stepped down after last season’s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid, wanting to make way for a new era at the club, a nod to Klopp’s mostly successful tenure.
The recent news that Klopp will join Red Bull to oversee its soccer clubs has added to the frustration for Dortmund fans. Another former coach, Thomas Tuchel, who won the German Cup in 2017, was named England’s coach on Wednesday.
