Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Şahin on perfectionism, Japan, Jürgen Klopp and more!
Approaching the start of his first season as Borussia Dortmund head coach, Nuri Şahin spoke exclusively to bundesliga.com about his new role, the tour to Japan and Jürgen Klopp's influence on him.
bundesliga.com: Do you feel that there are parallels between the perfection and attention to detail here in Japan and yourself?
Şahin: “I actually said that Japan is a country where I feel extremely comfortable because it's very clean, everything is very structured, and I also like the food! When it comes to exotic things, I usually have problems, but Japan is a country that I really, really like. There is definitely an obsession with detail like the perfectionism that I have - which has always been seen as both a strength and a weakness but I can't help it.”
bundesliga.com: How do you see it for yourself when others have seen it as both a strength and a weakness?
Şahin: “As a young man, you try to adapt if a sports psychologist, your father, your friend, your wife, or whoever talks to you about it - it's sometimes exhausting and you try to work on it, but I didn't succeed. Eventually, I accepted that this is who I am, and I am happy with it. Maybe that's one reason why I became the head coach of Borussia Dortmund at the age of 35.”
Watch: Dortmund players meet fans in Japan
bundesliga.com: Why did you decide to become a coach?
Şahin: “The turning point was in 2015 when I had a major injury and didn't know what the future held. It was during the transition from Klopp's last days to Thomas Tuchel's start. Both fascinated me. The day I decided to become a coach was when I saw Thomas Tuchel at a tactics board while I was injured.
"There was a video session at a training camp when Thomas showed videos of John Terry and Carlos Puyol, and that moment grabbed me. He was almost sweating because he was so active in presenting everything to us. That was very interesting and formative for me.”
bundesliga.com: You had other influential or at least very well-known coaches. Are there things you learned from them, or are Klopp and Tuchel your main influences?
Şahin: “As you said, I had the privilege of working with very good coaches, and like everyone else, I learned something from each of them. If I had to name two coaches though, I would put Jürgen Klopp as the complete package first, and then the obsession for details of Thomas Tuchel. With Tuchel, I left every meeting with the feeling that I'd learned something new again.”
Watch: Dortmund prepare for 2024/25 at Swiss training camp
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bundesliga.com: You have said you have a new role in an old environment. How has that felt in the first weeks?
Şahin: “It doesn't feel that different. I have overall responsibility now while previously I assisted, but my approach hasn't changed. The only change is having to make tough decisions. For nice decisions, no player will accuse me of changing. For tough decisions, however, someone might say it was different when you were the assistant. That's just the nature of the role I have now. I told the players on the first day that nothing will change in how we interact, only the decisions will change.”
bundesliga.com: Is making tough decisions the biggest downside of being a head coach?
Şahin:: “Yes, but it's part of the job. You can't describe it any other way. You have to be a bit different as head coach.”
bundesliga.com: You mentioned role models. Do you think you will follow your own path in developing as a coach?
Şahin: “You have to keep developing every day. Jürgen evolved at Liverpool, and Pep Guardiola constantly reinvents himself. Saying I'm done with my development would be wrong, but I'm confident enough to say I'm ready for this role and have my own ideas that are also decent. I even learned during the tour to Japan.
"Taking the journey to Asia for example, I know what I would do differently next time and what I would adjust. As a player, I had a lot of trips to America or Asia and you don't think about things you do as a coach - like the time difference and the process.”
bundesliga.com: Did you watch Euro 2024 - how do you think the Dortmund players got on?
Şahin: “I watched a lot of games, but I didn't watch every game. You can’t watch every game when you also have two kids at home that you need to take care of. Our players did well, scored goals and got minutes, which was important. The most important thing for me was that they stayed healthy at the European Championship and also at the Copa America with Gio [Reyna]. I’m happy that they're with us again now.”
bundesliga.com: Despite the disappointment of losing the Champions League final, would you also say that there are positives you can take from last season?
Şahin: “The first and most important thing for me is realising we can compete with anyone at that level. We held our own in the final against Real Madrid and were even better than them at times. Our Champions League season was a process. When we played in Eindhoven, I have to honestly say, Edin [Terzić] was just about the only one who really believed that we could reach the final and win the title.
"With every minute, more and more shared his belief. This is a lesson for us now as well: a new coach, some new players, some departures, some arrivals. It's all a process, even with a bad result from time to time, like we had in Thailand."
Watch: Dortmund 2-2 Villarreal - pre-season friendly
bundesliga.com: What are your plans for the future at Dortmund?
Şahin: “Every coach has their vision, every person has their vision. For me, the most important thing is the human aspect. The key is for everyone to come in every morning with enthusiasm, work hard, and enjoy it. This includes the cooks, the staff and the players. That is the foundation that we need to lay, it starts with human relationships and ends with performance - they feed into one another. I think with the boys that we've signed plus the young talents we have, we're well set up in both the league and the Champions League. I'm looking forward to working with the players and the people here.”
bundesliga.com: You are very familiar with the club after all the years as a player and assistant coach. What are your fondest memories?
Şahin: “There are many memories that will always stay with me. I've experienced the lowest lows with Borussia Dortmund and the highest highs. I hope that many more stories will be added. As Jürgen always said, we collect stories and experiences, and this is our shared story that has begun. I hope that many things will come together that we will remember for years to come. I'm really looking forward to that."
Watch: Şahin and Kagawa reunite as Dortmund visit Japan
bundesliga.com: One last question - it must have been special to meet Shinji [Kagawa] in Japan, right?
Sahin: “When Shinji came for the photo with the team, I said that this club is so special. No matter where you come from, no matter what language you speak—because Shinji didn't speak a word of German or English when he came to us— you're welcome, and he brought an extraordinary energy into the locker room. I don't know how we communicated back then, but we did communicate, and he was immediately integrated into the team, and then his performances on the field followed.
"It's fantastic that when Shinji met us again after all those years, he was welcomed with open arms. That's why I say it's a privilege to play and work for this club.”
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