Draxler: "Nowhere near where I want to be"

There was loud applause from the stands in the 76th minute during FC Schalke 04's home encounter with SC Freiburg, as Julian Draxler was brought on for Max Meyer. The 21-year-old World Champion returned following five months sidelined through a thigh injury.

Schalke's no. 10 felt right at home on the left-hand side of the Royal Blues’ midfield, but was unable to provide the creative spark that his team required in the closing stages of their 0-0 draw. Julian Draxler spoke with DFB.de about his highly anticipated return from injury, Schalke's current struggles and his role as a bearer of hope.

DFB.de: Julian Draxler, what did it feel like to come back from a five-month injury lay-off and make your first competitive appearance again?

Julian Draxler: Great. I feel good and haven't felt any pain after a good week of training. Returning to action was certain a success for me personally, but I would've liked to win the game as well.

DFB.de: Did the team simply not do enough in order to secure a victory?

Draxler: You could say that. We had a few chances to score, but most of them were sort of created by accident. We had a good spell after their missed penalty, but failed to take advantage of it. Freiburg earned a point today.

DFB.de: How would you rate your own performance in the closing 15 minutes of the game?

Draxler: First of all, I was happy to be on the pitch at all. Obviously, all that glitters is not gold. I tried to help the team and focused on my job on the left wing. I'm happy with that for now.

DFB.de: Are you able to get stuck in the way you want to yet?

Draxler: No. I'm still a good way off my top form but I'm not afraid of entering challenges. I feel fine physically, although my stamina can still improve. It will come back automatically though through match practice. It was nice to be back in the Arena and be on the pitch. My one shot attempt wasn't forceful enough.

DFB.de: Some fans expressed their anger after the game about Schalke's current situation. What do you think about the fans' reaction today?

Draxler: The fans weren’t happy with our performance and that's perfectly understandable. However, we should always thank them for coming out and supporting us they way they always do. It's their right to make themselves heard when they are disappointed. It's not a problem for us. They don't mean it in a negative way. Everyone just wants Schalke 04 to do well.

DFB.de: You are considered as a bearer of hope by the fans. How does that make you feel?

Draxler: I tried to have an impact after my substitution, but like I said, I'm nowhere near my best form. It's a good feeling when the fans place their hopes on me, but I have to emphasise that I'm still nowhere near where I want to be. Therefore I have to curb the enthusiasm a bit.

DFB.de: What’s been the problem at Schalke lately? There seems to be an issue with creativity?

Draxler: It's difficult to say why we’re struggling in the final third at the moment. I've trained with the team just three times now and had a short appearance against Freiburg. I'm not close enough yet to make a good judgement on that. But the fact is that we don’t have enough creativity on the pitch at present and we aren’t producing enough attacking moves that could put us into a position to score. We have to work on that and get it fixed fast.

DFB.de: Schalke are trailing Leverkusen by ten points already. Is finishing fourth now an unrealistic scenario?

Draxler: Mathematically it's still possible, but we should stop talking about the Champions League. It's not like we just put in a performance that would justify us qualifying for it. We have the quality in our squad to qualify, but we are currently lacking the clinical touch. We have to improve a lot if we want to win the upcoming games. We have to try and secure as many points as possible and see where that takes us.

DFB.de: How appealing would it be for you to play for a club that is not participating in the Champions League next season?

Draxler: Playing for Schalke 04 is always appealing.