Strength lies in calmness. Or so it is said. But if that it is the case, then Lukasz Piszczek is strong, as the 31-year-old is unflustered and unflappable. Not just at any old time either, but now, at a point in the season when one week could prove to be the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful campaign. The Pole is due in Osnabrück tonight, where the rearranged DFB Pokal quarterfinal between Borussia Dortmund and third division side Sportfreunde Lotte will take place; a win will set up a semi-final in Munich against Bayern, the reward being a final in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
Piszczek is in his seventh year at Dortmund. Since 2010, he’s been wearing the black and yellow not just on his body, but also in his heart. He’s tasted success with Borussia, twice winning the Bundesliga and once the DFB Pokal. He’s also come second in both competitions on three occasions. He featured in the 2012 Champions League final in London, which Dortmund lost 2-1 to Bayern. At home, he’s a family man, married, with a six-year-old daughter.
He knows what he’s doing. This season he’s already netted five goals from right-back. All of his goals have come in wins for Dortmund: he struck home and away against Wolfsburg and also against Freiburg and Mönchengladbach, as well as in Bremen. The Poland international spoke to us in an interview at a crucial point in the season.
DFB.de: Mr Piszczek, football is becoming faster and faster and you have increasingly less time to make decisions on the pitch. In the last two rounds against Hertha Berlin and Union Berlin, Dortmund won on penalties. What are penalty shootouts like for players, when you simply can’t afford to miss?
Lukasz Piszczek: I’m quite experienced now so it’s not too bad. When you have to take one yourself, you obviously feel the pressure. When you only have to stand and watch, it isn’t so bad. We all have our fingers crossed and hope for the best. I think it helped in the last two rounds that we were in our own stadium.
DFB.de: How important is it that you remain in the cup? Especially as the next few weeks will ultimately determine whether you have a successful or unsuccessful season.
Piszczek: We knew when we began the second half of the season that we needed to work hard and we still need to now. It’s not easy to find a rhythm again after the winter break. We had a very difficult game against Leipzig, for example, then a few days later we played Hertha Berlin who were compact and defensive. Eventually, it went to penalties but we managed to progress. We’re now playing Lotte in the quarterfinal and want to go to Berlin via Munich. The prospect of this is driving us on.
DFB.de: You’re in the quarterfinals of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League so things are looking pretty good at the moment. However, perhaps for the first time in a decade, there has been talk of turmoil at Borussia Dortmund in 2017. How do these reports affect your daily work?
Piszczek: What’s said in the media or by people outside of the club doesn’t bother me. I don’t believe it. The players know what we have to do. The coach and his staff know it too and we all try to bring our best performances when we step onto the pitch. Of course, we understand that people will be unhappy when we don’t win or when we don’t play well, but we’re also not happy when this happens. But we can’t lose control when it does happen, that would be crazy.
DFB.de: Mr Piszczek, you are 31 and have been at the top for many years now. What do you bring to such a young team with your vast experience?
Piszczek: If a young player needs some advice, then I’m happy to help. But the young lads today are extremely focused and very talented. Sometimes you have to hold them back a little and remind them that the cameras are watching. Sometimes they don’t think before they speak, or speak about things that they really shouldn’t speak about. They don’t always think clearly, but as an experienced player, I can remind them and make it easier for them.
DFB.de: You’ve already scored five goals so far this season. This is your best tally since the 2011/12 season. You’re the most potent defender in the Bundesliga. How do you do it?
Piszczek: I’m quite surprised about that. I go up for set pieces and have scored two goals from those. I’m always happy when I can help the team. Especially when the goal is a winner, like in Bremen, that makes me very happy. Perhaps I can score a sixth or a seventh goal this season, who knows. Like I say, I try to remain quiet and then take the chance when it comes around.
DFB.de: What would be more important to you: scoring a sixth or seventh goal or regularly keeping clean sheets?
Piszczek: I think the answer to that is easy. We have enough players who can score goals. Therefore, I would be happy if we regularly keep clean sheets. We’ve done that well in previous years and would make things a lot easier at the moment. I think that will be the case very soon, though.
DFB.de: Mr Piszczek, would you prefer to end the season with a DFB Pokal final in Berlin, or in second place in the Bundesliga?
Piszczek: I’ll take both!
created by mmc/mr
Strength lies in calmness. Or so it is said. But if that it is the case, then Lukasz Piszczek is strong, as the 31-year-old is unflustered and unflappable. Not just at any old time either, but now, at a point in the season when one week could prove to be the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful campaign. The Pole is due in Osnabrück tonight, where the rearranged DFB Pokal quarterfinal between Borussia Dortmund and third division side Sportfreunde Lotte will take place; a win will set up a semi-final in Munich against Bayern, the reward being a final in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
Piszczek is in his seventh year at Dortmund. Since 2010, he’s been wearing the black and yellow not just on his body, but also in his heart. He’s tasted success with Borussia, twice winning the Bundesliga and once the DFB Pokal. He’s also come second in both competitions on three occasions. He featured in the 2012 Champions League final in London, which Dortmund lost 2-1 to Bayern. At home, he’s a family man, married, with a six-year-old daughter.
He knows what he’s doing. This season he’s already netted five goals from right-back. All of his goals have come in wins for Dortmund: he struck home and away against Wolfsburg and also against Freiburg and Mönchengladbach, as well as in Bremen. The Poland international spoke to us in an interview at a crucial point in the season.
DFB.de: Mr Piszczek, football is becoming faster and faster and you have increasingly less time to make decisions on the pitch. In the last two rounds against Hertha Berlin and Union Berlin, Dortmund won on penalties. What are penalty shootouts like for players, when you simply can’t afford to miss?
Lukasz Piszczek: I’m quite experienced now so it’s not too bad. When you have to take one yourself, you obviously feel the pressure. When you only have to stand and watch, it isn’t so bad. We all have our fingers crossed and hope for the best. I think it helped in the last two rounds that we were in our own stadium.
DFB.de: How important is it that you remain in the cup? Especially as the next few weeks will ultimately determine whether you have a successful or unsuccessful season.
Piszczek: We knew when we began the second half of the season that we needed to work hard and we still need to now. It’s not easy to find a rhythm again after the winter break. We had a very difficult game against Leipzig, for example, then a few days later we played Hertha Berlin who were compact and defensive. Eventually, it went to penalties but we managed to progress. We’re now playing Lotte in the quarterfinal and want to go to Berlin via Munich. The prospect of this is driving us on.
DFB.de: You’re in the quarterfinals of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League so things are looking pretty good at the moment. However, perhaps for the first time in a decade, there has been talk of turmoil at Borussia Dortmund in 2017. How do these reports affect your daily work?
Piszczek: What’s said in the media or by people outside of the club doesn’t bother me. I don’t believe it. The players know what we have to do. The coach and his staff know it too and we all try to bring our best performances when we step onto the pitch. Of course, we understand that people will be unhappy when we don’t win or when we don’t play well, but we’re also not happy when this happens. But we can’t lose control when it does happen, that would be crazy.
DFB.de: Mr Piszczek, you are 31 and have been at the top for many years now. What do you bring to such a young team with your vast experience?
Piszczek: If a young player needs some advice, then I’m happy to help. But the young lads today are extremely focused and very talented. Sometimes you have to hold them back a little and remind them that the cameras are watching. Sometimes they don’t think before they speak, or speak about things that they really shouldn’t speak about. They don’t always think clearly, but as an experienced player, I can remind them and make it easier for them.
DFB.de: You’ve already scored five goals so far this season. This is your best tally since the 2011/12 season. You’re the most potent defender in the Bundesliga. How do you do it?
Piszczek: I’m quite surprised about that. I go up for set pieces and have scored two goals from those. I’m always happy when I can help the team. Especially when the goal is a winner, like in Bremen, that makes me very happy. Perhaps I can score a sixth or a seventh goal this season, who knows. Like I say, I try to remain quiet and then take the chance when it comes around.
DFB.de: What would be more important to you: scoring a sixth or seventh goal or regularly keeping clean sheets?
Piszczek: I think the answer to that is easy. We have enough players who can score goals. Therefore, I would be happy if we regularly keep clean sheets. We’ve done that well in previous years and would make things a lot easier at the moment. I think that will be the case very soon, though.
DFB.de: Mr Piszczek, would you prefer to end the season with a DFB Pokal final in Berlin, or in second place in the Bundesliga?
Piszczek: I’ll take both!
