Coach has to improvise
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Nuri Şahin did not let the next devastating personnel news destroy his confidence before the Champions League clash against Hansi Flick and FC Barcelona. Central defender Niklas Süle (29)? According to Şahin, it will be out for “a few months”. Playmaker Julian Brandt (28)? Won’t be fit in time for Barça. Defender Waldemar Anton (28)? It’s not there either. Nevertheless, Borussia Dortmund’s coach said: “We will be very, very brave. We won’t change our idea.”
Şahin by no means sees BVB as an outsider. “I don’t think there is a favorite,” said the 36-year-old. “We are playing at the same level.” Four days after the disappointing 1-1 draw in Mönchengladbach, BVB, which was weak away from home, wants to show its home face. The Revierklub has not yet lost at home this season. Defense chief Nico Schlotterbeck (25) is sure that “the temple will burn again” in the highlight game against the Spanish league leaders. Other than personnel, the starting position in the table for BVB is good.
Dortmund no longer have to worry about being eliminated immediately after the league phase with twelve points from five games. The goal is a place in the top eight – and thus direct entry into the round of 16 without having to go through the playoffs. A win against the Spaniards, who are tied on points, would bring Dortmund a lot closer to this goal. Şahin also sees it that way: “If we pull this off, we’ll take a giant step towards the top eight.”
BVB: Şahin meets Lewandowski again
Of course, it won’t be easy in ex-national coach Flick’s first game as Barça coach in Germany. Barcelona leads LaLiga just ahead of Real Madrid. However, the ensemble around young star Lamine Yamal (17) and storm veteran Robert Lewandowski (36), who won the championship twice with Dortmund and in 2011 together with Şahin, has recently had problems. Barça have only won one of their last five league games. The dress rehearsal went wrong with the 2-2 draw at Betis Sevilla on Saturday. Flick got so upset that he saw the red card. But BVB will not be blinded by this.
They showed what the Catalans can do, among other things, in the impressive 4-1 against Flick’s former club FC Bayern and in the 4-0 win in the Clásico at Real Madrid. Barcelona are “a very, very good opponent with an exceptional coach who managed to bring his ideas into the team in a very short time,” said Şahin, who once also played for Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real.
He only decides at short notice which personnel he wants to use his opportunity with. It is still unclear whether striker Maximilian Beier (22) can play. And it is not yet clear whether it makes sense to use Karim Adeyemi (22), who was recently injured. One thing is certain: Şahin will have to improvise again on Wednesday evening (9 p.m./DAZN).
Can is available as Süle’s replacement – Şahin sees an extremely high load
Hardly anyone embodies Dortmund’s injury misery as much as their central defender Süle, who will probably be replaced by captain Emre Can (30). The 29-year-old had just returned from an injury to his right syndesmosis. Now he sustained the same injury again in Mönchengladbach. “It’s very, very bitter because we needed Niki very, very much,” said Şahin. “I spoke to him on the phone last night. He was also very affected.” Whether Süle will undergo an operation or whether the injury will be treated conservatively will be decided after the Barcelona game.
In any case, Şahin sees major problems given the tight schedule. “The burden is far too high,” complained the ex-professional according to the “WAZ”. “Especially for the national players it is hardly bearable. It’s not just the games, it’s also the trips. And the game has changed, now you have to push the limits in every encounter.” Unfortunately, not only the Black and Yellows have serious personnel concerns, but also other top European teams. “Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp couldn’t change it. Therefore, FIFA will not say that if Nuri Şahin says this, then we have to do it differently. But I don’t know when Gregor Kobel, for example, should go on holiday,” said the BVB coach according to the “Kicker”.