Julian Draxler’s return to Gelsenkirchen and the Veltins-Arena lasted longer than expected, as the Germany international was selected for a doping test and spent an extra 90 minutes in the stadium following VfL Wolfsburg’s 3-0 defeat to the Royal Blues.
His team mates had already all boarded the bus and were on their way back to Wolfsburg, when the 22-year-old World Champion stopped for an interview with DFB.de, to talk about his return to Schalke, the jeers from the fans and Wolfsburg’s poor run.
Question: Mr. Draxler, was it the expected difficult day for you, on your return to Gelsenkirchen?
Julian Draxler: Not so much in regard to what happened off the pitch, I knew what to expect. But our performance in the game was obviously sub-par and there is nothing more to say to that. We deserved to lose.
Question: Were you able to blend out the jeers and taunts from the fans?
Draxler: It’s not possible to completely block that out, but you still try to make the best out of it. It’s not a nice feeling to be jeered at when you’re returning to your “home”. You try to be professional about it and just play the game as if it was any other. But at the end of the day us football professionals are also just human beings. There is no doubt about the fact that it does get to you a bit.
Question: Did you also hear positive welcome back messages?
Draxler: Yes and I thought that it did stay within reasonable bounds. I also understand the fans who are still a bit upset about it. I saw a few posters which read “Good Luck” or “Thanks for your time with us”. But I was completely aware that a majority of the fans would express some form of resentment and that’s completely acceptable.
Question: Was your family also in the stadium?
Draxler: Yes, they were. Sead Kolasinac provided me with some tickets for family and friends. We were able to have a quick chat just now after the game, but we also still see each other quite often. I rather enjoyed seeing the other familiar faces like the kit manager, physiotherapists and Schalke’s coaching staff. The trip here was definitely worth it in that regard but unfortunately we aren’t bringing home any points.
Question: Wolfsburg had a good start to the game, but fell apart after conceding the opener. Why?
Draxler: I think it’s because we haven’t won a game in a long time and are simply going through a very, very difficult phase right now. We need to experience a sense of success. Of course one could say that we took 1-0 leads in previous games and still lost, but I think that as soon as we realise that we are under severe pressure, we start to struggle even more.
Question: Wolfsburg are without a win from their last seven games. What does a run like that do to a team?
Draxler: We are unsettled obviously. You don’t have a lot of confidence after a run of seven games without a victory. It always sounds like such a cliché, but what else can you do? This game is behind us already and we have to focus on the week of training ahead of us. I’m sure that we will sit together on Sunday for a bit longer and talk about what we need to change.
Question: Are you perhaps even a bit relieved now that this day is over for you?
Draxler: Yes, a bit. I knew that it wouldn’t be pleasant to return. Obviously I wanted us to get a better result, but like I said earlier: we didn’t deserve it today.
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Julian Draxler’s return to Gelsenkirchen and the Veltins-Arena lasted longer than expected, as the Germany international was selected for a doping test and spent an extra 90 minutes in the stadium following VfL Wolfsburg’s 3-0 defeat to the Royal Blues.
His team mates had already all boarded the bus and were on their way back to Wolfsburg, when the 22-year-old World Champion stopped for an interview with DFB.de, to talk about his return to Schalke, the jeers from the fans and Wolfsburg’s poor run.
Question: Mr. Draxler, was it the expected difficult day for you, on your return to Gelsenkirchen?
Julian Draxler: Not so much in regard to what happened off the pitch, I knew what to expect. But our performance in the game was obviously sub-par and there is nothing more to say to that. We deserved to lose.
Question: Were you able to blend out the jeers and taunts from the fans?
Draxler: It’s not possible to completely block that out, but you still try to make the best out of it. It’s not a nice feeling to be jeered at when you’re returning to your “home”. You try to be professional about it and just play the game as if it was any other. But at the end of the day us football professionals are also just human beings. There is no doubt about the fact that it does get to you a bit.
Question: Did you also hear positive welcome back messages?
Draxler: Yes and I thought that it did stay within reasonable bounds. I also understand the fans who are still a bit upset about it. I saw a few posters which read “Good Luck” or “Thanks for your time with us”. But I was completely aware that a majority of the fans would express some form of resentment and that’s completely acceptable.
Question: Was your family also in the stadium?
Draxler: Yes, they were. Sead Kolasinac provided me with some tickets for family and friends. We were able to have a quick chat just now after the game, but we also still see each other quite often. I rather enjoyed seeing the other familiar faces like the kit manager, physiotherapists and Schalke’s coaching staff. The trip here was definitely worth it in that regard but unfortunately we aren’t bringing home any points.
Question: Wolfsburg had a good start to the game, but fell apart after conceding the opener. Why?
Draxler: I think it’s because we haven’t won a game in a long time and are simply going through a very, very difficult phase right now. We need to experience a sense of success. Of course one could say that we took 1-0 leads in previous games and still lost, but I think that as soon as we realise that we are under severe pressure, we start to struggle even more.
Question: Wolfsburg are without a win from their last seven games. What does a run like that do to a team?
Draxler: We are unsettled obviously. You don’t have a lot of confidence after a run of seven games without a victory. It always sounds like such a cliché, but what else can you do? This game is behind us already and we have to focus on the week of training ahead of us. I’m sure that we will sit together on Sunday for a bit longer and talk about what we need to change.
Question: Are you perhaps even a bit relieved now that this day is over for you?
Draxler: Yes, a bit. I knew that it wouldn’t be pleasant to return. Obviously I wanted us to get a better result, but like I said earlier: we didn’t deserve it today.
