He isn’t the quickest, but…

Sahin on his aspirations, qualities and match rhythm
Midfielder turned centre-back: Nuri Sahin played in a back three in Mönchengladbach last week (Photo: nordphoto).
First Team
Thursday, 11.04.2019 / 15:02

One of the first things SV Werder Bremen head coach Florian Kohfeldt said to Nuri Sahin after the former Dortmund midfielder signed his contract was: “you’re not the quickest.”This is a fact Sahin has known since he was eleven years old. However, Kohfeldt followed up this comment with a ‘but’ and the former Turkey international ended up signing for the Green-Whites after some good discussions. Seven months later, Nuri Sahin looks back at the first few months of his time in Bremen.

“It was definitely the right decision,” said the 30 year-old reflecting on his transfer to the Green-Whites last summer. After 15 years, including spells in the Netherlands, England and Spain, Sahin permanently left Dortmund where he rose through the academy to sign a contract with Werder “Between October and December I wasn’t satisfied with my performances. Apart from that, I have played well in some matches and not as well in others,” adds Sahin. His head coach isn’t surprised that he is playing well. “Nuri’s speed of execution is great and he also possesses a lot of experience. He can also our attacking play a fraction of a second faster.”

 

Constant discussions: Florian Kohfeldt and Nuri Sahin (Photo: nordphoto).

Qualities which the midfielder doesn’t deny he possesses but plays them down include: “If there isn’t much free space on the pitch, then I’m a good footballer and I’m able to help the team. In these situations, I’m also strong in the tackles.”

An important factor in using these qualities to maximum potential has been his playing time in recent weeks. Sahin has been given plenty of match time in recent weeks from head coach Kohfeldt. “Of course it helps to be playing every week. Every footballer can agree with that. It is super important to have the rhythm of regular matches. The tasks become clearer and the spaces become bigger with every minute,” outlines Sahin. The 30 year-old has the aspiration to play every week and to use his qualities to help the team as a midfielder or as a centre-back as he proved last week in Mönchengladbach. “I didn’t know if I could play further back as a centre-back but the coach acknowledged that I could do it. It was fun to play at a new position. The most important thing is for me to be playing,” concluded Sahin.

With Philipp Bargfrede ruled out of this weekend, there is a good chance Sahin will start once more on Saturday at home against SC Freiburg (15:30 CEST). It remains to be seen whether Kohfeldt chooses to play how Sahin – either in midfield or part of a back three.

 

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