Nuri Şahin’s six-month reign as Borussia Dortmund head coach is over after he was relieved of his duties following the Black-Yellows’ 2-1 loss to Bologna. That was just the latest setback in a season that has never really gotten going for last term’s UEFA Champions League finalists.

bundesliga.com look at five reasons behind BVB’s current crisis.

1) Worrying start to 2025

Dortmund have struggled this campaign, but their problems have worsened since the start of this calendar year. In four matches across all competitions, they are yet to earn a point and have kicked off a year with three consecutive Bundesliga losses for the first time. In fact, the last time they were on the losing side in three successive league matches was under Peter Bosz seven years ago.

The manner of the defeats adds extra cause for concern. They were blown away by both Bayer Leverkusen and Holstein Kiel in back-to-back matches immediately after the winter break, conceding three first-half goals both times. While they were able to score twice in response on each occasion, the damage had already been done. A 2-0 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt followed, before the Ruhr outfit gave away a goal advantage in Bologna.

Having gone into 2025 in sixth place and just two points adrift of the top four, they have dropped down four places and are now seven points away from the Champions League qualification spots. In the space of two weeks, Dortmund’s lofty objectives have become increasingly difficult to achieve.

2) Şahin’s woes

It was hoped that Şahin’s appointment last summer following Edin Terzić’s departure would keep Dortmund in the hunt for major trophies domestically and internationally, but that has not been the case.

The numbers behind the former midfielder’s short tenure do not make for good reading. After 18 matches, Dortmund have amassed just 25 points – their lowest return at this point of a season in 10 years. Meanwhile, the last BVB head coach to win just nine of his first 18 league matches in charge was Peter Stöger in 2017/18.

Most damningly, Şahin picked up only 1.4 points per game in the German top flight. You have to go back to Thomas Doll, who was dismissed in 2008 after managing only 1.3 points per match, to find someone with a worse record in the Dortmund hot-seat. His exit came after BVB had finished in 13th in 2007/08 – their lowest position of the 21st century. As such, you can understand why the club’s hierarchy have decided to roll the dice and look for a new boss.

Nuri Şahin struggled during his reign as Dortmund head coach. - IMAGO/Bahho Kara

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3) Too much inconsistency

There were some positive moments under Şahin – the 7-1 win over Celtic in Europe and the 2-1 triumph over RB Leipzig stand out – but Dortmund have been far too erratic from week to week. In the Bundesliga, they have not prevailed in back-to-back games this season, often following up important victories with disappointing losses.

The lack of consistency has not just reared its ugly head from game to game, either - Dortmund have also frequently been unable to keep their performance levels up for a full 90 minutes. Only Leverkusen have dropped points in more matches from winning positions (five) than BVB’s four, while their part-recoveries against the reigning champions and Kiel tell their own story.

Whoever moves into the dugout next must find a way to combine a string of results; otherwise, improvement is unlikely to occur soon.

4) Unhappy travels

Borussia’s form has been respectable at the Signal Iduna Park - only four Bundesliga teams have a better record on their own turf, while Leverkusen and Barcelona are the only visiting teams to have left Dortmund with three points this campaign. However, that is in stark contrast to their troubles on the road.

The Bundesliga’s bottom two, Kiel and Bochum, are the only two teams in the top flight to have picked up fewer away points than Dortmund’s five, with the 3-1 win at Wolfsburg in the final game of 2024 their sole success. For context, that is their worst record since 2014/15, when they amassed four points from their first nine fixtures.

They have managed 3-0 wins over Club Brugge and Dinamo Zagreb in Belgium and Croatia, respectively, but defeats to Real Madrid and Bologna have balanced things out. In this respect, their home and away form has been consistent, but hardly in the way they would have hoped.

Borussia Dortmund were second best against Real Madrid, as they often have been away from this term. - IMAGO/Laci Perenyi

5) Underperforming at both ends of the pitch

Both Dortmund’s attack and defence have had issues. On paper, their 32 goals scored are not too shabby, given that it is the sixth-highest tally in the Bundesliga this season, but it is also their lowest total in a decade. Their xG of 27.1 is only enough to put them 11th, despite managing the fifth-highest number of shots (233).

Serhou Guirassy and Jamie Gittens have contributed with seven league goals apiece and struck up a handy partnership, but Maximilian Beier is next on the list with three. BVB seem to be struggling with a lack of confidence, and injuries to the likes of Karim Adeyemi – scorer of a hat-trick against Celtic – have not helped their situation.

While there are issues up top, the outlook is particularly bleak at the back. Their 31 goals conceded so far is the 10th-worst number across the division, but you have to go back to the disappointing 2007/08 term for a larger total after 18 matches (33).

Jamie Gittens has been one of the few positives for Borussia Dortmund this season. - IMAGO/Giuseppe Maffia

Remarkably, Dortmund have faced the third-lowest number of shots, but every sixth attempt has found the back of the net – the worst ratio by some distance. In the past, Gregor Kobel has been on hand to repel any danger when the backline was breached, but he too has been unable to reach previous heights – his save-percentage ratio of 61 (percent) is his lowest since his debut season with Hoffenheim (57 percent).

Again, injuries have not helped matters at the back. Nico Schlotterbeck has (for the most part) been the one constant in defence, but changes in formation and personnel – enforced or not – have seen BVB struggle to create a base upon which to build.

Clearly, there is plenty to address for whoever is given the job or replacing Şahin, but with almost half a season still remaining, there is still time to turn things around.

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