Lothar Mätthaus suggests Joachim Löw as Borussia Dortmund interim manager with the future of current head coach Nuri Şahin in doubt

Speaking to Sky Germany, Lothar Mätthaus has suggested that former Germany head coach Joachim Löw should replace Nuri Şahin as Borussia Dortmund’s interim head coach.

When asked about the current Dortmund coaching situation and who should replace Şahin, Mätthaus said:

“If Jogi Löw were standing on the sidelines – it was similar back then with Franz Beckenbauer at Bayern. When Franz was there, there was calm. There were still strong personalities in the background, but Franz was in charge.“

Beckenbauer took charge of Bayern Munich on an interim basis back in the 1990s both times making their seasons a lot more respectable. His first spell in charge in 1994 saw him lead Bayern to the Bundesliga title beating Kaiserslautern by one point while his second spell saw Bayern in the UEFA Cup in 1996. 

The former midfielder added:

“That’s why Jogi Löw would be a possibility for me to bring some calm to the team initially and then focus on finding a long-term coach.”

Löw has been without a job since leaving his role as Germany’s head coach in 2021. Previously, Löw said that clubs had shown an interest in appointing him as head coach, but there has never been anything concrete. 

Current head coach Şahin is under increasing amounts of scrutiny due to the team’s recent performances and a loss against Bologna this evening could be the end of his time as Dortmund’s head coach. Erik ten Hag and Roger Schmidt are the names that have consistently been linked as the former midfielder’s replacement. 

An interim head coach may not be the worst idea for Dortmund. There are very few head coaches at the moment who would be able to make this Dortmund season any way respectable while in the summer, there is a bigger pool of coaches to hire from as more would be willing to leave their current clubs. However, Lów who has been out of club management for over 20 years, may not be the solution. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan