Herrmann: I’m happy. It’s good for me, but also for the team as a whole. Six goals was my target and I’ve now achieved it but obviously I’d like to score a few more times before the season is up.
DFB.de: Granit Xhaka and Thorgan Hazard have extended their contracts at the club. How important is that?
Herrmann: It’s great. A few years ago we struggled to hold onto players, such as Marco Reus, Dante and Roman Neustädter. It’s a boost for the club when talented players decide to stay here.
DFB.de: You face Kickers Offenbach in the DFB Cup on Wednesday. How tough will that be?
Herrmann: It’s not going to be easy, even though we are favourites. If we win we’ll have two more games ahead of the final. I was in the stadium for a final once and it was a great atmosphere. I’d like to experience it as a player, but there’s a long way to go still.
Borussia Mönchengladbach got knocked out of the Europa League in midweek but beat SC Paderborn 2-0 on Sunday. Patrick Herrmann came off the bench to score the second and after the game DFB.de spoke to the 24-year-old about the rest of the season, his form and Wednesday’s DFB Cup game against Kickers Offenbach (20:30 CET).
DFB.de: Patrick Herrmann, congratulations on the victory and on coming off the bench to score. How do you feel?
Patrick Herrmann: It’s nice, especially for me personally. I was aiming for the near post but thankfully it went in anyway. I got better contact with my second effort but it hit the post. The most important thing is that we won the game.
DFB.de: Borussia are in good form at home. How good is your position ahead of the rest of the season?
Herrmann: We can still improve. The win over Paderborn was important, especially as we hadn’t won in the league after a European game previously. From the first whistle you could see that we were determined to grab all three points.
DFB.de: What did the team do differently compared to other games following European exploits?
Herrmann: It’s difficult to say. Maybe we just had a bit more luck. Both goals took deflections. I think we put in a great performance and deserved to win 2-0.
DFB.de: Borussia are currently third and four points clear of their nearest rival...
Herrmann: The table looks good at the moment but there’s a long way to go. It’s going to be difficult but we’re delighted with our current situation.
DFB.de: Why do you think the team are so consistent?
Herrmann: We have a strong squad, which we showed against Paderborn even though we rotated. The players that came in were phenomenal.
DFB.de: Five of your last six games have been against teams in the lower half of the table. Tough tasks await you…
Herrmann: Of course. We have to travel to Munich as well as hosting Leverkusen and Augsburg.
DFB.de: Is your aim to qualify for Europe again?
Herrmann: Of course. It was a great experience. The atmosphere at the games was great, especially against Sevilla last week, so we want that again.
DFB.de: How happy are you with your current form?
Herrmann: I’m happy. It’s good for me, but also for the team as a whole. Six goals was my target and I’ve now achieved it but obviously I’d like to score a few more times before the season is up.
DFB.de: Granit Xhaka and Thorgan Hazard have extended their contracts at the club. How important is that?
Herrmann: It’s great. A few years ago we struggled to hold onto players, such as Marco Reus, Dante and Roman Neustädter. It’s a boost for the club when talented players decide to stay here.
DFB.de: You face Kickers Offenbach in the DFB Cup on Wednesday. How tough will that be?
Herrmann: It’s not going to be easy, even though we are favourites. If we win we’ll have two more games ahead of the final. I was in the stadium for a final once and it was a great atmosphere. I’d like to experience it as a player, but there’s a long way to go still.
