Borussia Dortmund head coach Nuri Şahin reacts to their 4-0 preseason loss: “If you don’t do the basics, you won’t play.”

Speaking to the media (via Ruhr Nachrichten) after their 4-0 loss to Thai side BG Pathum United, Borussia Dortmund head coach Nuri Şahin has reacted to the loss.

On the defeat, Şahin said:

“That was a severe defeat, I didn’t like the basics at all”  

Throughout his post-match comments, the former midfielder drilled into the idea that despite anything else the basics have to be right for him:

“Only the basics have nothing to do with the fact that you have heavy legs, they have to be right.”

“Just because the boys are tired doesn’t mean you can say: forget about it. If you don’t do the basics, you won’t play.”

Several first-team players played for Dortmund in their 4-0 loss to Pathum United, Julian Brandt, Karim Adeyemi, Youssoufa Moukoko, Felix Nmecha, Niklas Süle, Julian Ryerson as well as Sebastien Haller and Ramy Bensebaini in the second half all featured. 

If Dortmund want to improve on their fifth-place finish last season, then they will need to play better especially as the style of play will no longer be an issue as Edin Terzic has now gone. Dortmund will have a chance to redeem themselves as they travel to Japan to face Cerezo Osaka on Wednesday.

They then have games against Villarreal and Aston Villa back in Europe before they kick off their season against 1.FC Phönix Lübeck in the DFB Pokal on 17th August.

GGFN | Jack Meenan