New Liverpool signings are usually accompanied by two things: unrealistic expectations and unhelpful comparisons. Nuri Sahin, who snubbed Arsenal to move to Anfield, has not been able to buck that particular trend but he has turned the tables somewhat, pointing out the similarities that he sees in the club he has joined and the one where he made his name, Borussia Dortmund.
Just as Sahin’s arrival and the excitement it has caused provides a certain symbolism of Liverpool’s present also-ran status — his one-year loan move was prompted by an inability to oust Xabi Alonso, who left Liverpool three years ago, from the Real Madrid team — so when he compared his new team to Dortmund, a club that they dwarfed until recently, it is