Reus: We've already had a decent amount of success in the Champions League, and I think that if we keep playing the way we know we can in the Europa League, we have a good chance of going a long way. The final has to be the aim, but it's a long way away. We'll inevitably suffer some setbacks this year so we have to be prepared for that.
DFB.de: What's the main reason behind how much the Dortmund players are enjoying themselves at the moment? Does it have anything to do with experimenting with new positions?
Reus: Obviously we're constantly changing positions, but we're sticking to our individual jobs. We adjust well to different situations, and against Odds it was clear that we put some good moves together that often led to goals – we practise for that. I think it's fair to say that we're on the right path, but it's only the start of the season.
DFB.de: So is there more to come?
Reus: There's always more to come, but there's no such thing as a perfect game. We've got an important Bundesliga clash with Hertha BSC on Sunday, and we want to keep up our momentum before we head into the international break.
As the referee blew the whistle to start Dortmund's match against Odds BK, Marco Reus was caught by surprise as he immediately sprinted into the centre circle, only to find that his opponents had not yet kicked off. He was forced to retreat and wait for the Norwegians to touch the ball before he could finally get stuck in.
In the 90 minutes that followed, the attacker found the net three times in a 7-2 win for BVB in the second leg of their Europa League qualification play-off, their biggest win in Europe for 23 years. Reus led the line in manager Thomas Tuchel's 4-1-4-1 formation, and with three goals, Dortmund's number 11 was a key contributor to their success on Thursday night.
The pick of the bunch for Reus was his second and Dortmund's third – his Germany international teammate Ilkay Gündogan released Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who in turn centred for Reus to score via the underside of the crossbar. For Reus and Gündogan, as well as for World Cup winners Roman Weidenfeller, Mats Hummels and Matthias Ginter, it was a fairly comfortable route into the Europa League group stage, the draw for which takes place today in Monaco at 13:00 CEST. After the match, Reus sat down with DFB.de to discuss his hat trick, the excitement in Dortmund and their chances in the Europa League.
DFB.de: Marco Reus, how would you categorise the 7-2 win? Was it to be expected, given the gulf in class between the teams?
Marco Reus: Despite going a goal down in the first half, we stuck to our task, and even before their goal we created some good chances. I think that sums up our style of play at the moment – even when we're behind, we remain patient because we know that we'll get our chance. That's what happened in this match, and on the whole I think it was a very strong team performance.
DFB.de: How happy are you to have been rewarded with three goals?
Reus: As I always say, I don't really care who scores the goals. Obviously it's good for me, but the important thing is that we find our rhythm as a team, and above all that we put into practice what the manager expects from us. In the past few weeks we've been on the right path, but we haven't quite reached yet what the manager wants to see.
DFB.de: What will be Dortmund's aims when your Europa League campaign gets underway on the 17th September?
Reus: We've already had a decent amount of success in the Champions League, and I think that if we keep playing the way we know we can in the Europa League, we have a good chance of going a long way. The final has to be the aim, but it's a long way away. We'll inevitably suffer some setbacks this year so we have to be prepared for that.
DFB.de: What's the main reason behind how much the Dortmund players are enjoying themselves at the moment? Does it have anything to do with experimenting with new positions?
Reus: Obviously we're constantly changing positions, but we're sticking to our individual jobs. We adjust well to different situations, and against Odds it was clear that we put some good moves together that often led to goals – we practise for that. I think it's fair to say that we're on the right path, but it's only the start of the season.
DFB.de: So is there more to come?
Reus: There's always more to come, but there's no such thing as a perfect game. We've got an important Bundesliga clash with Hertha BSC on Sunday, and we want to keep up our momentum before we head into the international break.
