Holstein Kiel 4-2 Borussia Dortmund: Three Takeaways as BVB's Poor Rückrunde Continues | OneFootball

After a lackluster performance against Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, Borussia Dortmund traveled to Holstein Kiel where they hoped to bounce back and maintain pressure on the Top-four of the Bundesliga. Unfortunately, the Black and Yellows have opened 2025 in the worst possible fashion. If going down against Leverkusen by two goals in nine minutes wasn't bad enough, BVB found themselves down by three at halftime against one of the league's worst-performing clubs. As Dortmund plunge further down the league table, Keil will be overjoyed having won their third league game of the campaign and earning an important three points in the relegation battle.

Strong second half strikes from Gio Reyna and Jamie Gittens weren't enough to salvage anything from this match but as we look to the future, here are my biggest takeaways:

There is a lack of squad cohesion and tactical flexibility

There's no doubt that Nuri Sahin has a game plan entering each match, and I think we saw what he was going for in the first twenty minutes of this match. Dortmund dominated possession and mounted pressure in Keil's third. But this strategy also opens the defense for counterattacking, and leaves players defending one-on-one with nobody between the player in question and Gregor Kobel. This is why Keil was able to capitalize so clinically on Julian Brandt's mistake. In the second half, we saw similar situations with both Gio Reyna and Waldemar Anton, but those two players managed to escape with the ball. This is a risky system to use, and when it's not working, the team isn't able to adequately adapt.

The cohesion between players is some of the worst we've seen from Dortmund in recent history. When Black and Yellow players run into the wings, their support players stand there, ball-watching, while the attackers stand in the box awaiting a delivery. There's little urgency and far too little movement and support in the attacking plays. I think this is partially why Julian Brandt is struggling; he's a playmaker and at his best when he can help the players around him. Yet in this system, the runs being made are far too inconsistent, and the strategy seems to always be changing. For all of Dortmund's possession, they don't create enough chances. The goals from Gittens and Reyna are far more emblematic of individual quality than the teamwork that could be creating goals. We're relying too heavily on individual performances to find results.

Several Members of Dortmund's squad are underperforming

I think we can all recognize that Julian Brandt is one of our biggest under-performers of this campaign, but he's not the only one. Marcel Sabitzer has looked like a shadow of the player he was last season. Emre Can has not played well enough to warrant a contract extension yet he's our team captain, and even Gregor Kobel has struggled with form. Even when BVB is struggling, these are names that should inspire confidence and right now that's simply not happening.

There's certainly a case to be made for the fact that it can take new players a bit of time to integrate into a new squad, but with the exception of Waldemar Anton, Dortmund's new boys are struggling too. Serhou Guirassy was signed as a high-profile striker but has yet to show he's capable of recreating his form from last season with Stuttgart. Maxi Beier has had a few strokes of brilliance, but doesn't look anything like the up-and-coming striker he was at Hoffenheim. Yan Couto made his breakthrough with Girona qualifying for Champions League last season, but has looked poor for Dortmund, especially in 2025. These are guys who played incredibly well last season and came to Dortmund to advance their careers and compete for trophies. So far, coming to Dortmund has had the opposite effect.

Nuri Sahin needs to be put under pressure

The predictable headlines ahead of this weekend's game will be how the Dortmund board have full confidence in Nuri Sahin. I understand the injury crisis and a recent flu outbreak are not necessarily within Sahin's control, but this is Dortmund's worst point tally after seventeen games in a decade. The match against Leverkusen was never going to be easy, but this game against Holstein Keil should have been an easy win and an opportunity to build confidence within this squad. Sahin's tactics are hard to follow at times, and he doesn't always setup his players for success.

A good manager is able to bring out the best in their players, but Sahin has not been able to do that at any point this season. I like Nuri Sahin and I prefer looking at the long-term plan when assessing a manager, but Nuri Sahin does not give me confidence and I'd argue he's not inspiring confidence within the Dortmund camp. Well, the players at least. If the board is going to continue backing Sahin's tenure, then he needs pressure and he needs results. The middle of the league table is close, and if these losses continue, then BVB may miss out of Europe next season altogether.