The fact that Borussia Dortmund’s 2-2 draw with SV Darmstadt 98 pushed them up to within 4 points of next weekend’s opponents Bayern München is, in the opinion of Germany international Mats Hummels, secondary. What frustrated the BVB captain? That his team has twice missed the opportunity to build a seven point cushion to fourth place. According to the 26-year-old, who spoke to DFB after the result on Sunday, securing a top three position and automatic Champions League qualification for 2016/17 is their main aim.
Question: Mr. Hummels, 2-2 against Darmstadt 98, and a goal conceded in added time. How do you rate this seventh matchday?
Mats Hummels: It is of course frustrating. I think we showed good character after going behind early on. Sometimes it all just depends on who has the most luck on the day. And they did well to equalise.
Question: Why did BVB make their lives so difficult prior to the 90th minute?
Hummels: We didn’t have many chances. The ones that we did have were very good, but we didn’t make use of them. This made it very difficult. It looked like they were playing a 6-3-1. We struggled to break them down, but did it just about enough. We played very, very well in the second half, which we can be happy with. It’s just frustrating that we weren’t 100% determined in added time. If your opposition have the chance to shoot after a free kick from 15 metres out then we’ve obviously done something wrong.
Question: And with the 0-1. Was their counter a result of your full backs pushing high?
Hummels: I’m not entirely sure why we were so exposed. I will have to have another look – I’m not 100%.
Question: Jan Rosenthal said that his team wouldn’t have had a chance to equalise had BVB passed the ball around a bit more and kept hold of it.
Hummels: That’s true. Darmstadt were done, they were knackered. And to be honest, they had lost their desire after going behind 2-1. We should have just passed the ball around, even in the 90th minute. But then we broke forward with four men, lost the ball and got into a situation where we should have made a tactical foul. This decision was correct, but then they get a free kick, And then… kick and rush. They earned it. Oh well…
Question: How can you explain it? A lack of cleverness?
Hummels: I think we maybe could slowed it down in the final minutes, but generally speaking it was alright. If you score to make it 3-1 then the game is really over. I wouldn’t call it a lack of cleverness.
Question: You now have a four point gap to try and amend in Bayern. How frustrating is that?
Hummels: The most annoying thing is that for the second time, we haven’t been able to build a seven point gap to fourth place. We have had two big chances, but we’ve blown both of them. That is what frustrates us most. Primarily the season is about securing one of the top three places.
Question: Mr. Hummels, what are your thoughts on the upcoming week and the two away matches in Greece at PAOK Saloniki and at Bayern?
Hummels: We will approach it the same as any week. We have two difficult tasks ahead of us. We have had a lot of good games in Munich in past years, some lost and some won. I think that it will be based on form and will be a great match for sure. We want to take the next step in the Europa League – that is the first aim of this week. Then we will focus on the Bundesliga from Friday.
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The fact that Borussia Dortmund’s 2-2 draw with SV Darmstadt 98 pushed them up to within 4 points of next weekend’s opponents Bayern München is, in the opinion of Germany international Mats Hummels, secondary. What frustrated the BVB captain? That his team has twice missed the opportunity to build a seven point cushion to fourth place. According to the 26-year-old, who spoke to DFB after the result on Sunday, securing a top three position and automatic Champions League qualification for 2016/17 is their main aim.
Question: Mr. Hummels, 2-2 against Darmstadt 98, and a goal conceded in added time. How do you rate this seventh matchday?
Mats Hummels: It is of course frustrating. I think we showed good character after going behind early on. Sometimes it all just depends on who has the most luck on the day. And they did well to equalise.
Question: Why did BVB make their lives so difficult prior to the 90th minute?
Hummels: We didn’t have many chances. The ones that we did have were very good, but we didn’t make use of them. This made it very difficult. It looked like they were playing a 6-3-1. We struggled to break them down, but did it just about enough. We played very, very well in the second half, which we can be happy with. It’s just frustrating that we weren’t 100% determined in added time. If your opposition have the chance to shoot after a free kick from 15 metres out then we’ve obviously done something wrong.
Question: And with the 0-1. Was their counter a result of your full backs pushing high?
Hummels: I’m not entirely sure why we were so exposed. I will have to have another look – I’m not 100%.
Question: Jan Rosenthal said that his team wouldn’t have had a chance to equalise had BVB passed the ball around a bit more and kept hold of it.
Hummels: That’s true. Darmstadt were done, they were knackered. And to be honest, they had lost their desire after going behind 2-1. We should have just passed the ball around, even in the 90th minute. But then we broke forward with four men, lost the ball and got into a situation where we should have made a tactical foul. This decision was correct, but then they get a free kick, And then… kick and rush. They earned it. Oh well…
Question: How can you explain it? A lack of cleverness?
Hummels: I think we maybe could slowed it down in the final minutes, but generally speaking it was alright. If you score to make it 3-1 then the game is really over. I wouldn’t call it a lack of cleverness.
Question: You now have a four point gap to try and amend in Bayern. How frustrating is that?
Hummels: The most annoying thing is that for the second time, we haven’t been able to build a seven point gap to fourth place. We have had two big chances, but we’ve blown both of them. That is what frustrates us most. Primarily the season is about securing one of the top three places.
Question: Mr. Hummels, what are your thoughts on the upcoming week and the two away matches in Greece at PAOK Saloniki and at Bayern?
Hummels: We will approach it the same as any week. We have two difficult tasks ahead of us. We have had a lot of good games in Munich in past years, some lost and some won. I think that it will be based on form and will be a great match for sure. We want to take the next step in the Europa League – that is the first aim of this week. Then we will focus on the Bundesliga from Friday.
