Julian Korb managed to break through last season at Borussia Mönchengladbach and was consequently awarded with a contract extension until 2018. “We’re delighted to have brought another player from our youth system through to the first team and can rely on his services in the future,” said sporting director Max Eberl about the right back, who has established himself as somewhat of a permanent fixture in the Gladbach team this term, playing the full 90 minutes in ten of their twelve Bundesliga games so far.
Second-placed VfL Wolfsburg and third-placed Gladbach meet today. In an exclusive interview with DFB.de’s Oliver Jensen, the 22-year-old spoke about the big game, Gladbach manager Lucien Favre and the Germany youth coach that discovered him as a right back.
DFB.de: Mr Korb, after Borussia remained unbeaten until matchday 10, your side have suffered back-to-back defeats against Dortmund and Frankfurt. Are your team therefore particularly under pressure in Wolfsburg?
Julian Korb: Of course we want to bounce back after two defeats, but Wolfsburg will definitely be a tough task.
DFB.de: Apart from Bayern, are Gladbach and Wolfsburg the best teams in the league?
Korb: I think that we complement each other well at Gladbach. We can play really good football on our day. That also applies to Wolfsburg.
DFB.de: Why did your team concede three goals last weekend against Frankfurt after taking a 1-0 lead?
Korb: We made some mistakes and shouldn’t have let the game get away from us like we did in the second half. We wasted one or two chances to double our lead and weren’t particularly good at the back either. We now want to put that right. Our performance in Villarreal gives us confidence (2-2 draw on Thursday in matchday 5 of the Europa League group phase).
DFB.de: You’ve been in the first team at Borussia since 2011 now. The team were able to just avoid relegation to the second tier before that. Since then, Gladbach have been on the rise. What do you think are the reasons behind it?
Korb: The manager has just been terrific. Lucien Favre already said at the time that he would like to build something here over a few years. We’re an example of what is possible when a manger is given sufficient time. We’ve made great progress as a team. It’s no surprise that he’s known for improving every single player.
DFB.de: You were originally a defensive midfielder by trade. Your breakthrough in the Bundesliga has come as a right back though. Do you see yourself in this position in the long term or would you like to return to midfield?
Korb: I feel really good at the moment in this position. I’ve been playing for around one and a half years at right back now. I could imagine myself playing in a holding-midfield role though.
DFB.de: You’ve appeared for the Germany national side at every youth level. Does the position of right back mean that you could slot into the senior side as a replacement for Philipp Lahm following his retirement?
Korb: I don’t know, it’s not my place to say.
DFB.de: Your goal is set on the European U21 Championship next year first of all. What do you make of Germany’s chances?
Korb: We’ve already affirmed our role as favourites. We like this role as the Germany national side. Our goal is to win the title.
DFB.de: Which youth manager has particularly left a mark on you?
Korb: That’s difficult to say. Ralf Minge has given me a lot. He was the one who first deployed me at right back. Therefore he’s partially responsible for me playing on the right side now for Borussia.
DFB.de: You featured against Frankfurt on matchday 10 of last season and have been almost a regular since then. How did this breakthrough come about?
Korb: I had to show a lot of patience and it wasn’t always easy. I always gave it my all in training and friendly matches of course. But you need that little bit of luck too. There were some injuries in defence at that time so I was simply brought in.
DFB.de: Last question: You did an internship at Borussia and have been involved with all the departments, from the fan shop to the press office. Which area interests you the most?
Korb: The press area, because you get so close to the football. I actually wrote a few articles about the team myself.
DFB.de: Will you stay in the sport as a journalist then when your playing career comes to an end?
Korb: Perhaps. That area interests me a lot anyway.
created by mmc/ot
Julian Korb managed to break through last season at Borussia Mönchengladbach and was consequently awarded with a contract extension until 2018. “We’re delighted to have brought another player from our youth system through to the first team and can rely on his services in the future,” said sporting director Max Eberl about the right back, who has established himself as somewhat of a permanent fixture in the Gladbach team this term, playing the full 90 minutes in ten of their twelve Bundesliga games so far.
Second-placed VfL Wolfsburg and third-placed Gladbach meet today. In an exclusive interview with DFB.de’s Oliver Jensen, the 22-year-old spoke about the big game, Gladbach manager Lucien Favre and the Germany youth coach that discovered him as a right back.
DFB.de: Mr Korb, after Borussia remained unbeaten until matchday 10, your side have suffered back-to-back defeats against Dortmund and Frankfurt. Are your team therefore particularly under pressure in Wolfsburg?
Julian Korb: Of course we want to bounce back after two defeats, but Wolfsburg will definitely be a tough task.
DFB.de: Apart from Bayern, are Gladbach and Wolfsburg the best teams in the league?
Korb: I think that we complement each other well at Gladbach. We can play really good football on our day. That also applies to Wolfsburg.
DFB.de: Why did your team concede three goals last weekend against Frankfurt after taking a 1-0 lead?
Korb: We made some mistakes and shouldn’t have let the game get away from us like we did in the second half. We wasted one or two chances to double our lead and weren’t particularly good at the back either. We now want to put that right. Our performance in Villarreal gives us confidence (2-2 draw on Thursday in matchday 5 of the Europa League group phase).
DFB.de: You’ve been in the first team at Borussia since 2011 now. The team were able to just avoid relegation to the second tier before that. Since then, Gladbach have been on the rise. What do you think are the reasons behind it?
Korb: The manager has just been terrific. Lucien Favre already said at the time that he would like to build something here over a few years. We’re an example of what is possible when a manger is given sufficient time. We’ve made great progress as a team. It’s no surprise that he’s known for improving every single player.
DFB.de: You were originally a defensive midfielder by trade. Your breakthrough in the Bundesliga has come as a right back though. Do you see yourself in this position in the long term or would you like to return to midfield?
Korb: I feel really good at the moment in this position. I’ve been playing for around one and a half years at right back now. I could imagine myself playing in a holding-midfield role though.
DFB.de: You’ve appeared for the Germany national side at every youth level. Does the position of right back mean that you could slot into the senior side as a replacement for Philipp Lahm following his retirement?
Korb: I don’t know, it’s not my place to say.
DFB.de: Your goal is set on the European U21 Championship next year first of all. What do you make of Germany’s chances?
Korb: We’ve already affirmed our role as favourites. We like this role as the Germany national side. Our goal is to win the title.
DFB.de: Which youth manager has particularly left a mark on you?
Korb: That’s difficult to say. Ralf Minge has given me a lot. He was the one who first deployed me at right back. Therefore he’s partially responsible for me playing on the right side now for Borussia.
DFB.de: You featured against Frankfurt on matchday 10 of last season and have been almost a regular since then. How did this breakthrough come about?
Korb: I had to show a lot of patience and it wasn’t always easy. I always gave it my all in training and friendly matches of course. But you need that little bit of luck too. There were some injuries in defence at that time so I was simply brought in.
DFB.de: Last question: You did an internship at Borussia and have been involved with all the departments, from the fan shop to the press office. Which area interests you the most?
Korb: The press area, because you get so close to the football. I actually wrote a few articles about the team myself.
DFB.de: Will you stay in the sport as a journalist then when your playing career comes to an end?
Korb: Perhaps. That area interests me a lot anyway.
