How will the returns of Nuri Sahin and Sven Bender affect Edin Terzic and Borussia Dortmund?
By Eli Brand
Background
Sven Bender’s experience in coaching is very limited, as he called time on his playing career in 2021 and has only worked as an assistant for two coaches - Michael Prus and Christian Wück - with both the Germany U-16 and U-17 teams for a total of just 30 games.
Bender, who spent around eight years with Borussia Dortmund will need to make significant adjustments in going from developing young players to dealing with adults, many of whom are seasoned professionals. Bender’s new role may be particularly beneficial to Paris Brunner, who the former midfielder has worked with before.
Nuri Sahin managed Antalyaspor for 92 games in the Turkish Super Lig. While Antalyaspor placed as high as 7th under his direction, they have improved their xGDIF in each season since his appointment as head coach. This key statistic in predicting team quality shows that the football his team played improved over the course of his time there.
Overall, Sahin - whose potential as a head coach may be limitless - did a fairly decent job at Antalyaspor and sparked significant improvements at the club. Haji Wright, a former Schalke player, developed significantly while playing for Sahin and is currently having a successful season in the English Championship. This could be good news for the likes of Sebastien Haller, Karim Adeyemi and Gio Reyna, who in particular have been used inconsistently under Terzic this season in spite of their obvious talents.