After Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 defeat to FC Augsburg, Mats Hummels and Roman Weidenfeller faced the fans and the media. The World Cup winning pair were seen to be apologising to the supporters. After facing the fans, the pair went on to face the media. DFB.de spoke to Mats Hummels after the game about the current situation at Jürgen Klopp’s side.
DFB.de: Mr. Hummels, the supporters’ reaction was drastic. Do you empathise with them?
Mats Hummels: Absolutely. It’s not like we were lifeless, but we didn’t play well. We’re scoring fewer goals than our opponents. We’re bottom of the table after 19 matches. It wouldn’t be right if the players were annoyed at the reaction of the supporters.
DFB.de: What do you make of the result? You had a numerical advantage for half an hour.
Hummels: After the red card we wanted to press for a leveller. When we started to link-up, we created a few chances; however, we didn’t make the most of them. We lost the ball too often and conceded a lot of free kicks, which made things easier for them. We need to be a bit cleverer at times.
DFB.de: How do you feel about the current situation? Ahead of the winter break it was said that you needed a preparation period. This period has elapsed, yet you’ve lost both games.
Hummels: We obviously haven’t improved our situation. We hoped for more, especially after picking up a point in Leverkusen. We had a good chance to improve our situation against Augsburg but didn’t make the most of it. Our next game is against Freiburg. We need to be more effective in front of goal. Ahead of the Augsburg game I read that we’ve had 270 chances, whilst our opponents have only had 140 in games against us, yet we’re bottom of the table!
DFB.de: How do you feel you can get out of this situation?
After Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 defeat to FC Augsburg, Mats Hummels and Roman Weidenfeller faced the fans and the media. The World Cup winning pair were seen to be apologising to the supporters. After facing the fans, the pair went on to face the media. DFB.de spoke to Mats Hummels after the game about the current situation at Jürgen Klopp’s side.
DFB.de: Mr. Hummels, the supporters’ reaction was drastic. Do you empathise with them?
Mats Hummels: Absolutely. It’s not like we were lifeless, but we didn’t play well. We’re scoring fewer goals than our opponents. We’re bottom of the table after 19 matches. It wouldn’t be right if the players were annoyed at the reaction of the supporters.
DFB.de: What do you make of the result? You had a numerical advantage for half an hour.
Hummels: After the red card we wanted to press for a leveller. When we started to link-up, we created a few chances; however, we didn’t make the most of them. We lost the ball too often and conceded a lot of free kicks, which made things easier for them. We need to be a bit cleverer at times.
DFB.de: How do you feel about the current situation? Ahead of the winter break it was said that you needed a preparation period. This period has elapsed, yet you’ve lost both games.
Hummels: We obviously haven’t improved our situation. We hoped for more, especially after picking up a point in Leverkusen. We had a good chance to improve our situation against Augsburg but didn’t make the most of it. Our next game is against Freiburg. We need to be more effective in front of goal. Ahead of the Augsburg game I read that we’ve had 270 chances, whilst our opponents have only had 140 in games against us, yet we’re bottom of the table!
DFB.de: How do you feel you can get out of this situation?
Hummels: It’s tough to analyse things straight after the game and it’ll be the same on Thursday. On Friday we’ll be back on the training field. We’ll then travel to Freiburg, where we’ll give it our all and hopefully head in the right direction. Obviously, I hope to win the game and for us to be in a better position at the end of the weekend.
DFB.de: Games are slowly running out.
Hummels: That’s how it works.
DFB.de: So, do you feel the pressure increasing?
Hummels: We’ve been under pressure since matchday seven or eight. We aimed to pick up points and to challenge at the top of the table then. Now we’re under pressure to pick up points and pull away from the relegation zone. There’s always pressure, the only difference is the aims.
DFB.de: How do you deal with the situation psychologically?
Hummels: Obviously the current situation is worse than what we’ve felt in Dortmund previously. There are always highs and lows throughout your career. It’s rare that someone goes through their career without having some drops. Everyone has phases when it isn’t as easy.
DFB.de: What do you need to do?
Hummels: Things not too different to what we are doing at the minute. We need to keep fighting and remain stable at the back. We did this well for long periods of the game. Potency in front of goal is important too – it’s not like basketball where games finish 100-100. A lack of goals has been a key factor for us this season.
DFB.de: What do you make of the discussion surrounding the head coach?
Hummels: I honestly don’t care what is said. I don’t think it would be the right choice for us. Consequently, it’s not a topic of conversation amongst the players.
