FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Bundesliga - 1. FC Union Berlin v Borussia Dortmund - Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, Berlin, Germany - October 5, 2024 Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin before the match REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
(Reuters) - Borussia Dortmund are languishing in seventh place in the Bundesliga, but manager Nuri Sahin urged patience and stressed that it would be fatal for the club to doubt themselves so early in the season.
Under Sahin, who was appointed coach in June, Dortmund have secured only one point in three league games on the road this season, losing 5-1 to VfB Stuttgart and slumping to a 2-1 defeat at Union Berlin.
Sahin said Dortmund will work towards improving their away form, but added that it would have to wait until after their next game against St Pauli at home on Friday.
"It's not that I want to run away from away games or anything, but it's just a fact that we've only picked up one point from the three away games in the league...," Sahin told reporters on Wednesday.
"If you're 16th in the away table, you're not going to achieve your goals. You have to build on that. We can very happily do that before the game against Augsburg... Then we can talk about it. But now my full focus is on the home game against St Pauli.
"To cast doubt on our path after six matchdays would be fatal. That's not what we're doing. We're going to go our own way. Of course, you have to make adjustments with every game you play."
Sahin also congratulated England's new manager Thomas Tuchel, who coached Dortmund from 2015-17 when the former Turkey international was a player with the German club.
"I can only congratulate the FA on getting a great coach. I dare not say, whether it will work out or not. I have great admiration for Thomas Tuchel. I know that he can give this team a lot... congratulations to a very good head coach," Sahin said.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
