The start shows BVB are to be reckoned with

His joy at winning, at his goal, and at his assist was plastered all over the 28 year old's face. "It feels amazing. I spoke with my brother this morning, who had a good feeling that I would score. He was right", explained Sahin. Nuri has had a tough time of it recently, the low point coming in the cup-final in May. Former manager Thomas Tuchel had no place for him in his squad, and he had to follow the final from the stands. "Dwelling on the past won't achieve anything", said Sahin on Saturday. He has a newly won self-confidence under the auspices of Peter Bosz, and is well on his way to once again taking on a fundamental role in this Borussia Dortmund team.

"In summer, I had a career defining moment in front of me. It was important for me to learn the right lessons from last year. It's important for me simply to be utilised", he explained. "I had a good chat with the manager, after that it was all about 'work work work'. Our preparation went very well, you can see that on the pitch. And that's exactly where I have to keep performing." In the event, his lovely floated cross for Aubameyang for the 1-0 and his thunderous strike to bring up the 2-0 are reminiscent of his most successful times at BVB.

Bosz sees further room for improvement

"At the moment, Nuri is doing very well", added Peter Bosz. "He is an important player in this team. If he's even scoring goals with his right foot, that shows the self-confidence he currently has at his disposal", according to the manager, who had seen his team play dangerously throughout the encounter when Sahin was involved: "Nuri was often free, but it took too long for the ball to find its way to him. When Nuri got onto the ball in midfield areas, things became dangerous." Sahin took on the mantle of fulcrum at the heart of the Borussia Dortmund midfield. "It came naturally", said the Turk before disappearing merrily into the dressing room. "Apart from the Supercup, we have won all our games. We can be very satisfied with that."

The reality is that things are going pretty well for BVB at this early stage of the season. The pressing, the going after the ball high up the pitch that Peter Bosz demands from his team is working better with each passing game. Even against a very deep standing team which played with great discipline in defence such as Hertha, the Black and Yellows repeatedly found solutions in order to advance to dangerous shooting positions. But Peter Bosz was not completely happy: "I am satisfied with the result, but we still need to work on our game. More than anything, when in possession of the ball playing against such a compact opponent, we need to move the ball faster, and change sides more quickly." 

Now come seven games in 21 days

"When we lose the ball we try to win it back quickly. That's going well at times. But we still need to improve in this area", continued the manager, who nonetheless feels his charges are on the right path. "Normally that will get a little bit better each week." All in all, Bosz seems positive about his team's start to the season. "Two games, six points, five goals and no goals conceded. I am satisfied with that", he said.

Now it is time to hope that none of his players injure themselves while on international duty during the upcoming break, and that their current form can be carried forward after the next two weeks, because things really get going after the hiatus. On the fixture list, seven games in 21 days, an average of one game every three days, comprised of an "English week" in the Bundesliga (mid-week round of fixtures) and the two important duels in the UEFA Champions League against Tottenham and Real Madrid. BVB will know for certain afterwards, how significant this excellent start to the season really was.
Dennis-Julian Gottschlich