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Herrmann: "We have enormous quality"

Patrick Herrmann proved once again how dangerous he is coming off the bench. During Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 5-0 win over Hertha BSC on Sunday, the Germany international made it 3-0 just ten minutes after being introduced in the 66th minute.

Borussia jumped to fourth position in the table following the win and for Herrmann, it was his third goal of the season and his second since returning from a four-month injury setback. In an interview with DFB.de, the 25-year-old discusses the emphatic win over the team from the capital, the aims for the rest of the season, and his current role as an impact substitute.

Question: Mr. Herrmann, 5-0 against Hertha BSC. That was an incredible team performance, was it not?

Patrick Herrmann: Definitely, we did almost everything right. If we play like that, then we can expect to win big. Had we lost, the gap between us and them would have been nine points, and so in that sense the win was crucial.

Question: After the game the team formed a circle. Was that a sort of ‘we are a team’ statement?

Herrmann: Yes, we are a team. You have to look at the impact our substitutes had today and also Andrè Hahn returning to the starting XI. We scored three goals between us and it shows that we have enormous quality as a team. If we put in that level of performance, then we can beat sides like Hertha BSC.

Question: Was yesterday the culmination of what has been an impressive turnaround since the beginning of the season? A win against third place and it looks like you have a very good chance of securing European football.

Herrmann: I don’t think that’s been the case just since yesterday, its more long term. If we win games like that, then we deserve to be where we are. With that said, there’s still a long way to go and it’s difficult to say at this stage where we will finish at the end of the season.

Question: The club has endured a lot of injuries recently. You and André Hahn both scored, and Tony Jantschke made his comeback. An excellent day all round?

Herrmann: It certainly was an enjoyable day. Tony played his first game since injury, and I was so pleased for André - I know the feeling. When we are all fit, then we are capable of putting in that kind of performance.

Question: You’ve got a tough end of season ahead, with games against Leverkusen and Bayern. It’s all in your hands, right?

Herrmann: More or less. Of course it all comes down to how we perform. If we win all our games, then we will finish high up. In order to do so we need to replicate yesterday’s performance frequently, especially away from home.

Question: Were you disappointed not to play from the beginning?

Herrmann: I would of course have been pleased to play the full 90. But André is a different kind of player to me, and I think the manager prioritised physical presence and aerial threat. The game justified his decision. If you win 5-0, there’s not much to say really.

Question: What’s your personal fitness level at the moment? Could you have played the full 90 minutes?

Herrmann: I played 90 minutes in the friendly recently. The system is not necessarily suited to my style, to be completely honest. I am more than happy to come in and score my goals. All that matters is that we win our games.

Question: What do you mean the system is not suited to you?

Herrmann: We use Fabian Johnson and Oscar Wendt as advanced full backs, and then have three at the back. In that sense it doesn’t suit me, as I am more of an attacking player.

Question: So you need to find your position in that formation?

Herrmann: I played up front when I came on, and scored a goal. In that instance, we changed to a 4-4-2, which we do now and again. It worked very well.

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Patrick Herrmann proved once again how dangerous he is coming off the bench. During Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 5-0 win over Hertha BSC on Sunday, the Germany international made it 3-0 just ten minutes after being introduced in the 66th minute.

Borussia jumped to fourth position in the table following the win and for Herrmann, it was his third goal of the season and his second since returning from a four-month injury setback. In an interview with DFB.de, the 25-year-old discusses the emphatic win over the team from the capital, the aims for the rest of the season, and his current role as an impact substitute.

Question: Mr. Herrmann, 5-0 against Hertha BSC. That was an incredible team performance, was it not?

Patrick Herrmann: Definitely, we did almost everything right. If we play like that, then we can expect to win big. Had we lost, the gap between us and them would have been nine points, and so in that sense the win was crucial.

Question: After the game the team formed a circle. Was that a sort of ‘we are a team’ statement?

Herrmann: Yes, we are a team. You have to look at the impact our substitutes had today and also Andrè Hahn returning to the starting XI. We scored three goals between us and it shows that we have enormous quality as a team. If we put in that level of performance, then we can beat sides like Hertha BSC.

Question: Was yesterday the culmination of what has been an impressive turnaround since the beginning of the season? A win against third place and it looks like you have a very good chance of securing European football.

Herrmann: I don’t think that’s been the case just since yesterday, its more long term. If we win games like that, then we deserve to be where we are. With that said, there’s still a long way to go and it’s difficult to say at this stage where we will finish at the end of the season.

Question: The club has endured a lot of injuries recently. You and André Hahn both scored, and Tony Jantschke made his comeback. An excellent day all round?

Herrmann: It certainly was an enjoyable day. Tony played his first game since injury, and I was so pleased for André - I know the feeling. When we are all fit, then we are capable of putting in that kind of performance.

Question: You’ve got a tough end of season ahead, with games against Leverkusen and Bayern. It’s all in your hands, right?

Herrmann: More or less. Of course it all comes down to how we perform. If we win all our games, then we will finish high up. In order to do so we need to replicate yesterday’s performance frequently, especially away from home.

Question: Were you disappointed not to play from the beginning?

Herrmann: I would of course have been pleased to play the full 90. But André is a different kind of player to me, and I think the manager prioritised physical presence and aerial threat. The game justified his decision. If you win 5-0, there’s not much to say really.

Question: What’s your personal fitness level at the moment? Could you have played the full 90 minutes?

Herrmann: I played 90 minutes in the friendly recently. The system is not necessarily suited to my style, to be completely honest. I am more than happy to come in and score my goals. All that matters is that we win our games.

Question: What do you mean the system is not suited to you?

Herrmann: We use Fabian Johnson and Oscar Wendt as advanced full backs, and then have three at the back. In that sense it doesn’t suit me, as I am more of an attacking player.

Question: So you need to find your position in that formation?

Herrmann: I played up front when I came on, and scored a goal. In that instance, we changed to a 4-4-2, which we do now and again. It worked very well.