Yannick Gerhardt spent 13 years at 1. FC Köln and on Bundesliga matchday 19 he made his first trip to the visitors changing rooms inside the Rheinenergie-Stadion. Now playing for VfL Wolfsburg, his return was not a successful one, as the Wolves suffered a 1-0 defeat.
In this interview with DFB.de Gerhardt, who made his national team debut in November 2016, talks about the reasons for this defeat, the atmosphere in Cologne’s stadium and the DFB Cup encounter at FC Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Question: You lost the game due to a penalty. What is your take on the penalty decision?
Yannick Gerhardt: I was standing quite close to where it happened and to me it looked as if Anthony Modeste was trying to make contact and lifted off the ground even before it happened. It is obviously difficult to see for the referee, but I think he allowed the setting to get to him and thus influence is decision to give a penalty. That much is obviously very unfortunate for us.
Question: The atmosphere in Cologne is always a factor. How did it feel to play in front of this crowd as the opponent for the first time?
Gerhardt: It is definitely a factor. Once Köln started to create chances, they immediately received a lot of support. But as a professional you have to be able to blend those things out. Towards the end of the game we were the team closer to scoring a goal, but then conceded at an unfortunate time.
Question: What were your personal feelings on returning to your former club?
Gerhardt: I had a lot of pleasant anticipation beforehand. It was a special game for me. The stadium in Cologne is still one of the most beautiful in Germany. Many of my friends and family members were here today as well. But it was still my goal to help my team get a good result. Unfortunately it did not work out.
Yannick Gerhardt spent 13 years at 1. FC Köln and on Bundesliga matchday 19 he made his first trip to the visitors changing rooms inside the Rheinenergie-Stadion. Now playing for VfL Wolfsburg, his return was not a successful one, as the Wolves suffered a 1-0 defeat.
In this interview with DFB.de Gerhardt, who made his national team debut in November 2016, talks about the reasons for this defeat, the atmosphere in Cologne’s stadium and the DFB Cup encounter at FC Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Question: You lost the game due to a penalty. What is your take on the penalty decision?
Yannick Gerhardt: I was standing quite close to where it happened and to me it looked as if Anthony Modeste was trying to make contact and lifted off the ground even before it happened. It is obviously difficult to see for the referee, but I think he allowed the setting to get to him and thus influence is decision to give a penalty. That much is obviously very unfortunate for us.
Question: The atmosphere in Cologne is always a factor. How did it feel to play in front of this crowd as the opponent for the first time?
Gerhardt: It is definitely a factor. Once Köln started to create chances, they immediately received a lot of support. But as a professional you have to be able to blend those things out. Towards the end of the game we were the team closer to scoring a goal, but then conceded at an unfortunate time.
Question: What were your personal feelings on returning to your former club?
Gerhardt: I had a lot of pleasant anticipation beforehand. It was a special game for me. The stadium in Cologne is still one of the most beautiful in Germany. Many of my friends and family members were here today as well. But it was still my goal to help my team get a good result. Unfortunately it did not work out.
Question: On Tuesday you will face FC Bayern in the DFB Cup. At first glance, it is a game in which Wolfsburg have nothing to lose. How optimistic are you that you will reach the next round?
Gerhardt: We are able to look at the situation in a realistic manner and we know that FC Bayern are still very much the best club in Germany. It is a different competition and anything can happen in these kinds of games. Perhaps we will be able to play with more freedom and cast off some of the pressure from the league. Obviously it is always difficult in Munich and it was not the best draw for us. But we will still try to reach the next round.
Question: Difficult tasks also lay ahead in the Bundesliga. First you will face Hoffenheim and then Dortmund. Is the Cup game perhaps more of a nuisance and would you rather have a break instead?
Gerhardt: No. When you lose as a football player you tend to ponder on the issue quite a bit. This way, we have no time to think about it. We are able to keep our heads up and focus on the next task. I’m convinced that we will present ourselves as a team in Munich. The way we played today was quite solid and it was an improvement over the Augsburg match and many other games in the first half of the season. Sooner or later we will reward ourselves.
Question: How dangerous is the current situation in the standings for Wolfsburg?
Gerhardt: It is certainly dangerous. The league is quite balanced for the most part. I think that any team can beat any other side. We are right in the middle of the relegation battle. That’s why we can feel the pressure and are not able to play freely. But I am convinced that we have enough quality to get ourselves out of this situation.
