Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer on the last season: “We were often too sloppy last season. That wasn’t always the way you would expect from a Dortmund team.”
Speaking to kicker, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer has given his thoughts on how new head coach Nuri Sahin has changed the team.
On the Austrian’s first impression of Sahin, Sabitzer said:
“He demands a lot, he has a clear idea, he knows what he wants, he knows what he wants to see and what he doesn’t want to see. He’s basically building on what he’s already brought in as assistant coach over the last six months, so not everything is completely new. But it’s a lot about details, playing to the right feet, turning to the right side and such subtleties. He has clear ideas about the style of play he wants to see, and I think that’s very good.”
The midfielder then talks about what the ex-Dortmund midfielder’s main principles are such as dominance in possession and passing:
“Exactly. It is important to him that a player does not have to shine every time he has the ball. We should keep it simple, focus on what the team needs at the moment, and not on what ideas we might have in our heads. It is a lot about decoy balls, a lot about through balls, getting behind the ball quickly in defense. It is about clean balls, the right passing speed, when you take two or three contacts, when you pass with one. There are a few details that he attaches great importance to – otherwise you get a clear message straight away.”
Last season, despite reaching the Champions League final, Dortmund finished fifth in the Bundesliga and only qualified for the new format of the competition as Germany gained an extra place due to their coefficient ranking. On last season’s performance, Sabitzer said:
“We were often too sloppy last season. That wasn’t always the way you would expect from a Dortmund team. We were sloppy, we allowed far too many counter-attacks and therefore too many open games. That is definitely not good for us as a team, which is why Nuri also places a lot of emphasis on remaining defense and good positioning against the ball. That way the opponent might have one dangerous counter-attack in the game and not four, five or six.”
The 30-year-old also stated that the stepping down of Edin Terzic, came as a surprise for him and he only found out when he was with Austria when preparing for EURO 2024:
“I can still remember it well. I came into the dressing room after training with Austria and then Ralf Rangnick came to me and told me about it. But that’s how it is in football, nothing and no one is certain and he will have his reasons for choosing that path.”
Dortmund begin their new season with a game against 1.FC Phönix Lübeck in the DFB Pokal next Saturday before they then open their Bundesliga campaign against Eintracht Frankfurt a week later. Dortmund have already begun to overhaul the squad from last season with Waldemar Anton, Serhou Guirassy (both VfB Stuttgart), Pascal Groß (Brighton), Yan Couto (Man City) and soon-to-be Dortmund player Maximilian Beier (Hoffenheim) all joining the club this summer.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
