Nuri Şahin disaster, Phil Harres, and more | Three things we learned as Holstein Kiel silenced Borussia Dortmund | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund were unable to bounce back from their Friday night defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen, falling to a 4-2 loss away from home against relegation-threatened Holstein Kiel.

Unlike BvB’s fixture against Die Werkslef on Friday, their clash with Kiel started with a considerably slower tempo, as both sides looked to grow into the game.

However, it would ultimately be the hosts to kick into gear first, as Julian Brandt saw his pocket picked in the defensive third by Alexander Bernhardsson, who slipped a ball into Shuto Machino to hand Kiel the lead.

If the Dortmund faithful were hoping that falling behind would send a message to their side, then they would be sorely mistaken, as more poor Dortmund defending allowed Phil Harres to claim his seventh goal in ten Bundesliga outings, before Bernhardsson added a third prior to the interval.

Nevertheless, after the break, Dortmund would look to complete one of the more unlikely of comebacks with Giovanni Reyna and Jamie Gittens offering the visitors a lifeline.

A late Lewis Holtby red card also threatened to cause further heartache for the Kiel faithful, but the final goal would be one for the hosts as Jann-Fiete Arp made the most of Gregor Kobel venturing forward for a Dortmund corner to earn Kiel their third victory of the season and condemn BvB to yet another defeat.

Holstein Kiel will fight for Bundesliga survival

When Kiel were promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history last season, once the initial excitement had quietened down, there was cause for concern about how they would fare in Germany’s top flight.

In recent Bundesliga campaigns, there has seemingly always been a whipping boy for the other seventeen sides to earn an easy three points, whether that be Darmstadt (17 points), Greuther Fürth (18 points), Schalke 04 (16 points), Paderborn (20 points), and the list goes on.

However, despite a difficult start to the season, Kiel are beginning to prove that they are not ready to claim that mantle for the 2024/25 campaign.

A 5-1 demolition of Augsburg on matchday 15 was followed by a dogged display in Freiburg where they were unable to earn what would have been a remarkable point.

Nevertheless, against Dortmund, Kiel were once again well organised—frustrating a ball-dominant but rather limp BvB side—while being quick, direct, and clinical on the counterattack.

They may not have a squad full of superstars, but they have a side determined to remain in the Bundesliga, and that, as shown against an expensive but weak-minded Dortmund side, can be worth just as much.

Nuri Şahin’s time at Borussia Dortmund is up

Sitting eighth in the Bundesliga table as the Hinrunde comes to an end is quite simply not acceptable for Borussia Dortmund. And it could even get worse by the end of the matchday with a bottom half standing staring them in the face.

While the results have not been positive, it is the performances that are even more alarming from a BvB point of view.

On a weekly basis, Dortmund are outclassed, they are outfought, and, concerningly, they are often outsmarted by the opposition.

Nuri Şahin is a young head coach, and there is certainly a future there for him in the Bundesliga, but the experiment at Dortmund may have come just too soon for the 36-year-old.

Whether it be unfortunate injuries, a lack of quality signings, or poor tactics—perhaps a mixture of all three—this season is almost a write-off for Die Schwarzgelben.

With reports linking Erik Ten Hag to the club, BvB should perhaps look to appoint the former Manchester United head coach and hope he can guide them into Europe before starting afresh next season.

Will Phil Harres be a future German international?

Twelve months ago, while Kiel were fighting for promotion to the Bundesliga, Phil Harres was looking to guide FC Homburg to the 3. Liga. Nevertheless, while Die Störche achieved the impossible, Homburg and Harres stared down the barrel of yet another campaign in Germany’s fourth tier.

Despite recording 28 goals in 43 appearances, Harres could not fire his side to promotion, and the dream of playing in the 3. Liga once again would have seemed like a lifetime away, let alone thinking of scoring goals in the Bundesliga. However, keeping tabs on the then 21-year-old were Holstein Kiel, and they took the punt on Harres for €200k.

While the 22-year-old would have to wait for his time to shine in a Kiel shirt, failing to feature until matchday eight before scoring two goals in his first seven outings, it has undoubtedly been worth it. It has now been five goals in three games for Harres, who is making scoring goals in the Bundesliga look like light work.

Averaging 2.6 shots per game, as per WhoScored, is a remarkable return for someone playing in a struggling side, and double that of Machino’s 1.3. Should he continue this fine form in a Kiel shirt, then a summer move could be on the horizon for Harres, and a call-up from Julian Nagelsmann would almost certainly follow.

GGFN | Will Shopland