Borussia Dortmund has had a relatively successful start to the season. BVB has earned 10 points from five league matches and confidently won 3-0 away against Club Brugge in the first round of the Champions League. However, a 5-1 loss to Stuttgart was a major setback. In the last Bundesliga match, Dortmund almost suffered another upset, trailing 0-2 to Bochum before managing a dramatic comeback to win 4-2.
Stuttgart’s Wake-Up Call, but Borussia Is Still Scoring Points
There’s no doubt that when Borussia is on the field, the games are anything but dull, though fans might prefer some calmer victories. Nonetheless, the work of new coach Nuri Sahin and his assistants, including Łukasz Piszczek, can be evaluated positively at this point, despite the heavy criticism following the Stuttgart defeat. One of the key aspects in Sahin's locker room seems to be discipline, as evidenced by the list of rules and penalties that have surfaced.
Piszczek and Sahin Show No Mercy for Rule-Breaking - Hefty Fines Imposed
This list, reportedly leaked on social media, outlines both minor and more severe fines. For example, using a mobile phone while the team is dining together results in a €100 fine, and showing up to the club in inappropriate attire costs €250. However, failing to attend a mandatory recovery session or missing a team meeting comes with much steeper fines of €3,000 and €5,000, respectively.
There’s no tolerance for lateness either. Each minute of being late costs €100, unless it’s on matchday, in which case 60 seconds of tardiness will cost a whopping €3,000. According to the German portal ran.de, these rules are much stricter compared to Jürgen Klopp's era when Sahin and Piszczek were still players. Back then, Klopp's fines were much lighter - being 15 minutes late would only cost €50, and dress code violations were fined €100, not €250.
It’s unclear how this strict regime is affecting the players, although sometimes the "stick instead of carrot" approach yields the desired results. The next opportunity to test Borussia Dortmund’s form will come today (Tuesday, October 1st), as they play their second Champions League group-stage match at 9 PM against Celtic Glasgow at home.
