Dortmund determined to build on winning start, says Sahin

By Sports Desk August 25, 2024

Borussia Dortmund are keen to overcome any teething pains by capitalising on their 2-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt in their Bundesliga opener on Saturday.

Dortmund faced a tough battle to find their rhythm against Frankfurt in a cagey match that was nearing a scoreless draw until substitute Jamie Gittens' introduction.

The 20-year-old broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute, moments after Frankfurt's Fares Chaibi had missed a big chance.

The visitors came close to equalising late on, but Gittens scored his second goal after a quick counter-attack, earning coach Nuri Sahin his first three points in charge.

"We had moments where we struggled, the momentum was on their side, especially after they almost made it 1-0. But we scored and that's what matters," Sahin told reporters after the game.

"We had the rub of the green and the momentum was luckily on our side towards the end. We made a relatively difficult start to the game – new season, new coach, new players.

"It was important to start off with three points. I am relieved. [Now] we need to accelerate this process with victories."

Dortmund also became the first team in Bundesliga history to win their league opener in 10 consecutive seasons.

Sahin was particularly proud of Gitten's performance, as the youngster put in a clinical performance, scoring with both of his shots after coming off the bench.

"All five [substitutes] came in with extra fire. The scenes are the best testament to Jamie's development. Without any detours, he's on his way up. We have high expectations for him."

Related items

  • Bayern confirm Musiala 'sidelined for the time being' with hip injury Bayern confirm Musiala 'sidelined for the time being' with hip injury

    Bayern Munich have confirmed that midfielder Jamal Musiala will be out "for the time being" after picking up a hip injury in their Champions League defeat to Aston Villa. 

    Musiala, who played in the second half of the 1-0 loss at Villa Park, has been ruled out for Bayern's upcoming Bundesliga fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.

    He will also miss Germany's Nations League fixtures against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Netherlands, with Julian Nagelsmann replacing the 21-year-old in his squad with Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling. 

    Musiala has been in fine form for Vincent Kompany's side, scoring three goals and laying on three assists in eight appearances in all competitions. 

    The midfielder also has the joint-most completed dribbles in the Bundesliga this season (seven), while only Michael Olise (14), Joshua Kimmich (13) and Harry Kane (10) have created more chances for Bayern than Musiala (seven). 

    He has also impressed for Germany on the international stage, scoring six times in 36 games for his country, playing a starring role in their Nations League opener against Hungary last month, scoring once and providing three assists in the 5-0 victory. 

    "Following an examination by the club's medical staff, Jamal Musiala will be sidelined for the time being with a hip problem," Bayern said on their social media accounts.

  • Maresca: Chelsea 'not ready' to complete for trophies with Man City and Arsenal Maresca: Chelsea 'not ready' to complete for trophies with Man City and Arsenal

    Enzo Maresca says that Chelsea "are not ready" to compete for major trophies against Manchester City and Arsenal this season.

    The Blues have made a strong start to life under Maresca, losing just two of their 10 matches so far.

    They are currently on a five-match winning run in all competitions, most recently seeing off Gent 4-2 in their Conference League opener on Thursday.

    So far, Chelsea have scored 27 goals under the Italian, with 15 of those coming in the league, outperforming their 12.2 expected goals (xG), and only failed to score in their opening Premier League match against City.

    However, Maresca has insisted people should not get carried away by Chelsea's recent form, playing down their chances of lifting any silverware this campaign.

    "I really don't think we can compete with City or Arsenal," Maresca said.

    "I really don't think that, because we are not ready. The reason is that City has worked with the same manager for nine years and Arsenal for five years. If you want to compete for big things, you need that time.

    "After Arsenal beat PSG [in the Champions League] they asked Luis Enrique, and he said the same thing, that Arsenal have had the same manager for five years and [PSG] only a year and a half.

    "Imagine us, only three months… so it's a huge difference. So, I am really convinced we cannot compete with those clubs."

    Before Maresca's appointment, Mauricio Pochettino only spent a season at Stamford Bridge, while Graham Potter before him was only in the position for just under seven months.

    After another busy transfer window for Chelsea saw them bring in 13 players, Maresca has urged for patience as they continue to find their footing in the early stages of his tenure.

    "The target is to improve and slowly, slowly to get closer to those clubs but at the moment we are not ready for that," he added.

    “There is no timeframe because you can continue to improve and add solutions to things always.”

    Chelsea face Nottingham Forest at home on Sunday in their final match before the international break. 

  • Ten Hag's future 'not my call', says Man Utd co-owner Ratcliffe Ten Hag's future 'not my call', says Man Utd co-owner Ratcliffe

    Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe says he does not hold power over the future of boss Erik ten Hag, amid the Red Devils' woeful start to the season.

    United have taken just seven points from their first six Premier League matches, only beating Fulham and Southampton while suffering back-to-back 3-0 home defeats versus Liverpool and Tottenham.

    That is their joint-worst return through six games of any season in the competition, having made identical starts under David Moyes in 2013-14 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020-21.

    In the Europa League, meanwhile, United were pegged back in a 1-1 draw at home to Feyenoord on matchday one then squandered a 2-0 lead in Thursday's 3-3 draw at Porto.

    Those results have led to fierce criticism coming Ten Hag's way, but Ratcliffe says United's new football hierarchy will make any decisions regarding the Dutchman's future.

    Asked if he retained faith in Ten Hag, who signed a new contract in pre-season, Ratcliffe told BBC Sport: "I don't want to answer that question.

    "I like Erik. I think he's a very good coach but at the end of the day it's not my call.

    "It's the management team that's running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.

    "But that team that's running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren't there in January, February, March or April – [CEO] Omar [Berrada], [sporting director] Dan Ashworth – they only arrived in July.

    "They've only been there… you can count it in weeks almost - they've not been there a long time, so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.

    "Our objective is very clear – we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it's not there yet, obviously – that's very clear."

    United go to Aston Villa for their next Premier League game on Sunday, having won 40 Premier League games against the Villans, with only the Red Devils themselves beating an opponent more often in the competition's history (41 versus Everton).

    Villa have won just one of their last 25 Premier League home games against United (eight draws, 16 losses), with that victory coming in Unai Emery's first game in charge of the club in November 2022 (3-1).

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.