Julian Weigl has become an ever-present at Borussia Dortmund. At just 21 years old, the national team player is already one of the club’s top performers under Thomas Tuchel. Since his move to the eight-time German champions from Zweitliga side TSV 1860 München, Weigl has made 67 from a possible 75 appearances. Following yesterday’s 1-1 draw with FC Augsburg on matchday 16 of the Bundesliga, the defensive midfielder and EURO 2016 member was just as frustrated as his head coach.
In an interview with DFB.de, Weigl spoke about BVB’s fourth draw in a row, their position in the table, the huge changes made to the squad and his two year contract extension until 2021.
Question: Including the 2-2 draw with Real Madrid, yesterday’s result with FC Augsburg was BVB’s fourth draw in a row. Is the side just a bit stuck at the moment?
Julian Weigl: You could say that. We were desperate to win against Augsburg, especially in front of our home crowd. I thought we started the game well and looked good going forward. We then invited pressure from the opposition too often and gave the ball away a lot. Only in the second half did we come out and play how we wanted to from the start. After that, we then had a lot of good chances to score, but weren’t able to use them.
Question: Do you think the team’s performance levels dropped off a bit after the first 15 minutes of the second half?
Weigl: Yes. That’s when we missed our chances to score. Still, I thought we were the completely dominant side in the second half and had a lot more of the ball. We got forward a lot and looked threatening. I think we had six corners and they had just the one. We were the better side but, as I said, we couldn’t convert those chances.
Question: How do you explain those uncertainties, especially in the first half?
Weigl: It’s hard to explain. We had Mikel Merino in the side, who is a very young player with not a huge amount of experience. He’s allowed to make mistakes from time to time. I think we then fell asleep a little and noticed that they were just letting us play our football. We then became a bit anxious and then thought we now to break through. Perhaps we should have kept a bit calmer. We knew though that we would need to be patient and that they would give us the space to play.
Question: How will you be going into the winter break?
Weigl: Right now I am quite frustrated. It normally takes me two days to get over these sorts of results. Obviously, we would hav wanted to be in a better position going into the break. But it’s important to remember we had a lot of changes in the summer, which can have a big affect on things. We have probably felt that in this first half of the season.
Question: What gives you hope going forward?
Weigl: We still have a lot of opportunities to do well this season. I know that all the potential in our side is waiting to break through and our young players are continuing to learn new things. In the second half of the season, I think they will be better at adapting to playing three games a week. I, for one, will not be burying my head in the sand.
Question: Ahead of the game, it was announced that you had signed a two year contraction extension, keeping you at the club until at least 2021. What was the key reason for you signing?
Weigl: It’s simple, I really believe in the huge potential we have as a team. I am noticing that we are building something here and feel like a really important part at what is such a big club. I am also extremely grateful, as a player from the 2. Bundesliga to be given a chance here. Since then, I have only been happy here. I am delighted about extending my deal. I know that the club, the head coach and the management are behind me. That for me, is the most important thing.
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Julian Weigl has become an ever-present at Borussia Dortmund. At just 21 years old, the national team player is already one of the club’s top performers under Thomas Tuchel. Since his move to the eight-time German champions from Zweitliga side TSV 1860 München, Weigl has made 67 from a possible 75 appearances. Following yesterday’s 1-1 draw with FC Augsburg on matchday 16 of the Bundesliga, the defensive midfielder and EURO 2016 member was just as frustrated as his head coach.
In an interview with DFB.de, Weigl spoke about BVB’s fourth draw in a row, their position in the table, the huge changes made to the squad and his two year contract extension until 2021.
Question: Including the 2-2 draw with Real Madrid, yesterday’s result with FC Augsburg was BVB’s fourth draw in a row. Is the side just a bit stuck at the moment?
Julian Weigl: You could say that. We were desperate to win against Augsburg, especially in front of our home crowd. I thought we started the game well and looked good going forward. We then invited pressure from the opposition too often and gave the ball away a lot. Only in the second half did we come out and play how we wanted to from the start. After that, we then had a lot of good chances to score, but weren’t able to use them.
Question: Do you think the team’s performance levels dropped off a bit after the first 15 minutes of the second half?
Weigl: Yes. That’s when we missed our chances to score. Still, I thought we were the completely dominant side in the second half and had a lot more of the ball. We got forward a lot and looked threatening. I think we had six corners and they had just the one. We were the better side but, as I said, we couldn’t convert those chances.
Question: How do you explain those uncertainties, especially in the first half?
Weigl: It’s hard to explain. We had Mikel Merino in the side, who is a very young player with not a huge amount of experience. He’s allowed to make mistakes from time to time. I think we then fell asleep a little and noticed that they were just letting us play our football. We then became a bit anxious and then thought we now to break through. Perhaps we should have kept a bit calmer. We knew though that we would need to be patient and that they would give us the space to play.
Question: How will you be going into the winter break?
Weigl: Right now I am quite frustrated. It normally takes me two days to get over these sorts of results. Obviously, we would hav wanted to be in a better position going into the break. But it’s important to remember we had a lot of changes in the summer, which can have a big affect on things. We have probably felt that in this first half of the season.
Question: What gives you hope going forward?
Weigl: We still have a lot of opportunities to do well this season. I know that all the potential in our side is waiting to break through and our young players are continuing to learn new things. In the second half of the season, I think they will be better at adapting to playing three games a week. I, for one, will not be burying my head in the sand.
Question: Ahead of the game, it was announced that you had signed a two year contraction extension, keeping you at the club until at least 2021. What was the key reason for you signing?
Weigl: It’s simple, I really believe in the huge potential we have as a team. I am noticing that we are building something here and feel like a really important part at what is such a big club. I am also extremely grateful, as a player from the 2. Bundesliga to be given a chance here. Since then, I have only been happy here. I am delighted about extending my deal. I know that the club, the head coach and the management are behind me. That for me, is the most important thing.
