Arnold: "Berlin is certainly something special"

An extremely relaxed looking Maximilian Arnold fielded questions from journalists after the match. It was clear to see just how excited the VfL Wolfsburg midfielder was about the 4-0 victory over Arminia Bielefeld and progressing to the final. He opened the scoring in the 8th minute and bagged a second, and Wolfsburg’s fourth, in the 55th minute.

DFB.de spoke to the 20-year-old about his outstanding performance in the semi-final, celebrations after the match and the anticipation ahead of the final against Borussia Dortmund, which will take place on the 30th May in the Berliner Olympiastadion.

Question: Mr Arnold, how do you feel after this emphatic victory?

Maximilian Arnold: It’s absolutely fantastic that we won today. We’re now in the final, which was our aim.

Question: How tense were you coming into the game against an ambitious third division side who had already knocked three Bundesliga clubs out of the competition?

Arnold: There’s always tension, regardless of who you’re playing or what competition you’re playing in. We’re simply very, very happy to have progressed. I have to say hats off to the team for the fact that we were so clinical and won by such a margin. I’m very proud.

Question: You were clinical in firing the team into the lead in the 8th minute…

Arnold: Cali (Daniel Caligiuri) set it up brilliantly, playing a great ball across. I connected sweetly and the ball flew into the back of the net.

Question: Was that the first crucial moment in the match?

Arnold: Yes, but getting the second goal was also important as it gave us some breathing space. Going 3-0 up shortly after the break settled the tie. We then started to celebrate a bit.

Question: Where would this evening rank in your career?

Arnold: At the very top. I haven’t achieved a lot in my career to date. This is the immediate target.

Question: You’ve already mentioned that you like to celebrate victory with Apfelschorle. Will you be celebrating with something stronger this evening?

Arnold: I dilute it with a bit of water (laughs). No, I don’t drink much alcohol. We also know that there’s the game against Hannover 96 on Saturday which shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Question: What are your feelings towards facing Dortmund in the final?

Arnold: I don’t have any thoughts or feelings at the moment because it’s still quite far away. We’ll slowly prepare for it. My attention and focus is firstly on the match against Hannover on Saturday. The Bundesliga is the main competition and we want to hold on to second place. This is what we need to work towards at the moment and then our focus will switch to Dortmund. Obviously the closer the final gets, the more we’ll start thinking about it.

Question: Ahead of the final, there’ll be a test run in Wolfsburg on matchday 33 of the Bundesliga. Will that give a hint of what could happen in Berlin?

Arnold: That’s a completely different game. It’s the Bundesliga and we’re playing at home. The final in Berlin will be like an away match for both sides, even when we’ll both bring plenty of fans with us.

Question: It would probably be difficult for you to get two goals like today again on the 30th May, wouldn’t it?

Arnold: I’d be surprised (Grins). We have great strength in depth in our squad and you have to prove yourself time and time again. I need to do that myself and then hopefully I’ll be given the chance to play. Getting to Berlin is certainly something special and I’m really looking forward to the final.

Question: Can making it through to the final and potential victory give the club a further boost and impetus?

Arnold: Absolutely. The whole season has been incredible. Berlin was one of our aims and we’ve now achieved that. Of course we want to build on this. As I already said, the Bundesliga is our main focus. I don’t think that there would be anything better than finishing in second place and reaching Berlin.