Seguin: That was really great. I think I was invited to every age group at international level, but I was always on the bench. I never got to play, that was really annoying. Which made it all the better to finally play for the U21s. I hope there will be many more appearances to follow. I would love to be at the European Championship in June.
DFB.de: Has the head coach Stefan Kuntz given you any indication of your chances?
Seguin: No. Football is a day-to-day business at the end of the day. But he did say that I am doing well. I think it’s very good that he speaks to us players a lot.
Fewer stars, but more home-grown talent. Paul Seguin represents a new path being followed by the powers that be at VfL Wolfsburg. It has been two years since he made his debut, but now he is a key member of the first team. When his side travels to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday (15:30 CET), there’s a good chance the defensive midfielder will be in the starting XI. In an exclusive interview with DFB.de, Seguin talks about the upcoming match against last season’s runners up, his famous father and the long wait for his first international appearance.
DFB.de: Mr Seguin, how do you feel looking ahead to the away match in Dortmund?
Paul Seguin: Firstly, it’s obviously a shame that the Südtribüne will be shut. Dortmund is usually the best away match of the season. But that can also be an advantage for us. Dortmund are used to having huge support from their own fans at home. It will be unusual for the players and the fans who are not there.
DFB.de: You have played against BVB twice and lost 5-1 both times. What needs to go better this time?
Seguin: We need to be better defensively. You will definitely get counter opportunities against Dortmund, but you need to make them count. We will be waiting for these opportunities.
DFB.de: Your team is currently under a lot of pressure due to the position in the table. As a young player, how are you dealing with this pressure?
Seguin: Of course we are in a difficult situation. The club has high demands, also from VW. We want to put things right and we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We need to stay calm, but that isn’t always so easy.
DFB.de: Recent results have good. Twelve points from the last six matches, only FC Bayern München have collected more. What’s changed compared to the 14 matches before?
Seguin: The biggest difference for me is that we are all working much better off the ball. That was something the coach conveyed to us during the winter break and were able to work on that a lot. Since then we’ve been much better defensively. On top of that, we’ve grown as a team.
DFB.de: Your teammate Mario Gomez was playing in the national team back when you were coming through the ranks as a youth. How do you find playing with him?
Seguin: Mario is a fantastic person, who I value very highly. He speaks with me a lot, gives me praise, but also tells me if I do something wrong. I can learn a lot from his vast experience.
DFB.de: Your father Wolfgang Seguin was also a successful footballer, won the European Cup and played international for East Germany. Is that how you grew up with football?
Seguin: His career was already over by the time I was born. But he told me many stories and was at all my games. Even today he and my mother want to be at every game in Wolfsburg, watching from the stands. Sometimes I tell him he should stay at home and save himself the journey (laughs).
DFB.de: Do you speak with him about your performances after games?
Seguin: Yes, after every game. He always tells me what I did well and badly, from his perspective. But it’s not like he is the driving force or anything. He never puts me under pressure. My brother also played football, but one day he decided he didn’t want to anymore. My father was completely fine with that. For me it was the opposite, it was always football, football, only football.
DFB.de: Now you play football professionally, not just at club level, but also internationally. Last November you made your U21s debut against Turkey.
Seguin: That was really great. I think I was invited to every age group at international level, but I was always on the bench. I never got to play, that was really annoying. Which made it all the better to finally play for the U21s. I hope there will be many more appearances to follow. I would love to be at the European Championship in June.
DFB.de: Has the head coach Stefan Kuntz given you any indication of your chances?
Seguin: No. Football is a day-to-day business at the end of the day. But he did say that I am doing well. I think it’s very good that he speaks to us players a lot.
