bundesliga. com met BVB’s top scorer with 15 goals at the 2023/24 festival, before his arrival at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. . .
bundesliga. com: How annoying is the delayed draw against Leverkusen?
Niclas Füllkrug: “Yes, it was tough and, of course, at that moment there was also a feeling of humility. I also gave interviews afterwards in which I felt very, very positive about the game, because this emotion deceives our own perception. I was both in ‘I need to win this match’ mode, I actually saw some things of what could have actually been, but I still think we got the new German champions, unbeaten in forty-five games. 1-1 with a big smile on their faces, because they were lucky not to lose.
“We deserved this situation, even if it didn’t look attractive. They’re a team that plays very dominant football and I think we managed to do that, especially in the first half, although we wanted to press high up the pitch but we couldn’t. We controlled to do so, but still managed to concede very little. It shows a sure capacity to suffer and a sure patience that we brought with us and in the second half we even went into more urgent moments. Of course, we scored in the second half and we also had two clever chances. Of course, there’s no denying that Leverkusen also had two chances, but I thought we had managed to nullify their strengths relatively. Well, this is helping to achieve a good result. However, as you mentioned before, it was a sense of humility after the game to concede a goal so late.
bundesliga. com: Is it true that the next meeting may not be so different?
Füllkrug: “No, no, it will be very different. Leipzig are a team that creates a lot of counter-attacking situations. He plays a bit solo, but prefers dynamic attacks rather than permanently forcing the opponent into their own half. . They have an absolutely different player profile and a different education on the pitch. Leverkusen play with a three- or five-man defence, Leipzig occasionally play with a back four, if I don’t forget correctly. Absolutely another game now, compared to
In my opinion, it will be much more open, it will be much more dynamic, there will be more back and forth and it will be about having a lot of control. “
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bundesliga. com: What does it mean for a striker to play against a back four or three?
Füllkrug: “It’s a big difference, a big difference. It’s very big, especially inside the box, of course, when we break through away from home or when we play crosses. With a 3-man defence, you have 3 wonderful centre-backs. Back in the box, even rarely in the penalty area, protecting the opponent is a big difference. Against a four-man defender, you move between two players and you have other defenders who have to move and adapt. “Normally you have a transparent opponent who is the centre-back, if you play with only one centre-forward, and that’s a big difference for me. Both have advantages and disadvantages. “
bundesliga. com: You’ve been very open about your preference for triumphing in the Champions League final. Now, in the bottom four. . .
Füllkrug: “No, it’s not open, it’s just logical. In the end, you know that if you make it to the semi-finals, there will be no losses. In any case, we didn’t have any retirements during this Champions League. In the league season, we just had very, very smart opponents, in my opinion the most productive European groups. Even Eindhoven, who destroy everyone in the league and make a very sensible season, were in my opinion a very difficult opponent who should not be underestimated. Still, if you get to the semi-last, you don’t need to be more sensible there, you don’t need to say that and that’s why I said that. There is no point in thinking about the existing goal. There’s no point in talking about who the opponent is because you have to go out there and come out at the end with more passes scored than Paris. Yes, getting to the Champions League final at the end, yes, that would be pretty good. “.
bundesliga. com: Then you added that it’s important to realise that it’s something special to be in the UCL semi-finals now. Why is it so important to you?
Füllkrug: “Because I think that is rarely forgotten. Of course, as Dortmund’s number nine you have to score a certain number of goals. It is vital to be successful, to be intelligent as a team, but I think the important thing is the overall structure. ” , it’s the overall functionality of the equipment, the service you get and then how you use your finishes and take advantage of your setting. I think we have room for improvement in many areas. “In fact, I look at myself and I know I am. I am critical of myself and I need to score even more goals than now, but as I said, you have to be realistic about the scenario. I think most of the newspapers or magazines included me here as a replacement when I made the transfer. Since then, except for two games in which I think I was rested or we rotated a little, I started every single game. Since then, I’ve started every single Champions League game, unless I was relatively new in the first one, and I’m very grateful for that. “I’m very pleased that this fits my own point of view. view, because I am a positive user and I focus on positive things, but the most important thing is that the team is successful and that we are successful together. I need to Contriyete, preferably with goals, with assists. If I am in a difficult phase, I try to help the team by running hard and the most important thing is that we succeed as a team, it is about Borussia Dortmund as a club. “That’s what I tried to explain at that moment. “
bundesliga. com: Have you ever stopped and thought, “This is what I’ve accomplished!”?
Füllkrug: “No, I’m still relatively calm. I think the progress is considerable, I think 4 years ago I was no longer successful, of course. But at all times I have been sure that I can play in the São Paulo Championship. I’ve had a lot of obstacles in my career and that’s why it’s hard for me to prove that I can do it in the long term with some consistency and now. do so for the past 3 years. Yes, it’s anything that leads us to celebrate wonderful achievements. “
bundesliga. com: But players react differently, don’t they?
Füllkrug: “I’m also a friend of humility, but I don’t think the scenario has anything to do with overconfidence, for me it makes sense. It has nothing to do with being open or emotional, to me it makes sense that “You have to progress. Well, yes, it shows. I think it’s different if you say in the circular on the 16th that the goal is Wembley than if you say it before the semi-final. “
A must-see: the Dortmund of truth
bundesliga. com: Logically, does it also have something to do with the fact that it made sense to you that at some point he would make a breakthrough thanks to his qualities?
Füllkrug: “Yes, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that in my youth I sometimes scored double figures, whether in the second division or the first division. I was also worried about the national team from the under-18s, except for the under-21s, Because I had this setback at the time, I don’t think it’s a coincidence, however, of course, I also learned very well in my career to deal with the things that cause me disorders. I take my framework to the next point, how to train, which is smart for me. Where I have come a long way in the last 4 years, is my hard work, my time of education, my determination, and my recovery. In fact, it has taken me to another point physically. They weren’t calm before the season either. Not many people thought I could compete abroad in terms of fitness and I think now I’m close to 50 caps with the national team in April, I don’t know if many. I would have expected that and we’re moving forward. “
bundesliga. com: When would you say you’re an experienced Bundesliga player?
Füllkrug: “I don’t know. After the year in Hanover ’96, I was maybe 23 or 24 years old. When I was young I played quite a few games at Werder Bremen, where I only came on as a substitute and then I was a substitute.
bundesliga. com: Did it go a bit unnoticed at the time?
Füllkrug: “At the time, it didn’t go unnoticed. At that time I was still. . . I think at the time he was the third highest scorer in the Bundesliga, he didn’t go so unnoticed. After that, I just “
bundesliga. com: Have you recently felt that your expectations for the national team and BVB were a bit exaggerated?
Füllkrug: “No, I don’t see it as extreme, I’m very comfortable with myself and I seem to be very, very balanced. For me it’s vital, just as I understand what’s going on in my head as more vital. ” than what’s going on around me. Because beliefs simply change. That’s what today’s society is all about, it’s higher, it’s faster, it’s faster, it’s more and as a result beliefs change, needs change, expectations change, but it’s also general that we face those external influences. Our work, in our work, and that’s why I’ve never had a challenge with that, I’ve controlled it well. “
bundesliga. com: On the other hand, was it fantastic to be able to succeed at the highest level despite everything?
Füllkrug: “Yes, of course, expectations are rising, I think you can feel that as well. The question is where we come from. When I entered the national team, I earned applause for every goal, etc. , and now “It’s obvious that the German number nine will score and this is an obvious difference in perception. In the end, that has no effect on my performance. “At the end of the day, it’s just me on the field, helping the team. Tout autour is a show, it’s made for the spectator. What we’re doing now is for the spectator, it’s not for me as an athlete, to be able to play better. It’s a game, but the game itself is not enough for many viewers because the entertainment that surrounds it is very interesting: expert opinions, interviews, headlines, everything and everything. It goes with the territory, but it’s nothing that influences my performance. “.
bundesliga. com: Does he delight in you?
Füllkrug: “Yes, exactly. I can only talk about myself, so I don’t talk about the players in general, there are other points of view, but my point of view is the same and there is only one distinction to be made. Both are vital for football, because I think the public finds it much more interesting. And yes, it’s becoming more and more topical, there are more and more opinions, there are technical things that are interesting, things that are also less technical, but let’s forget about them because of all that. Right now that’s my view of things.
bundesliga. com: How close do you feel to the Ricklingen in Hanover?
Füllkrug: “Yes, I’m from Ricklingen, in Hanover. Almost everyone in Hanover will go back there at some point, because you guys are very attached to your home and that will be the case for me. We also have the idea of coming back. After my career, my wife, my daughter and I. I still feel very attached to Hannover, I’m not so active at the club anymore, but of course it’s also my home and I still have links there. “
bundesliga. com: Is it true that in Ricklingen the so-called Füllkrug is synonymous with football?
Füllkrug: “Yes, yes, exactly. From my grandfather, who at that time also played in the second league. At that time, the regional league was still the second league. My father was very present, especially as a youth coach. American football. “
bundesliga. com: Is it difficult for your father to be your own coach?
Füllkrug: “Everything went well. Everything went well. “
bundesliga. com: But your own burger can’t be eaten at your favorite burger joint anymore, can it?
Füllkrug: “Yes, the hamburger is no longer available. Yes, well, I don’t use the number 24 anymore, so the ‘NF24’ is no longer available, but I think other people still ask for it sometimes. I’m still in touch with a friend of mine who owns the place, and yes, it’s definitely the richest burger in the store. People who pass by know it and it was one of my clever creations.
The fourth will face the third when Dortmund host Stuttgart at the Signal Iduna Park. How do the two UEFA Champions League contenders compare?
bundesliga. com outlines the key battles that are expected to influence the final results of the 2023/24 Klassiker.
The centre-forward will face his ex-spouse, striker Marvin Ducksch, who took on the task of scoring in Bremen in Füllkrug’s absence.
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