DFB.de regularly previews a national team player ahead of an important weekend for their club side. This week we have chosen Marco Reus, whose Borussia Dortmund side face his old club Borussia Mönchengladbach in their hunt for Europa League football.
Marco Reus is a happy chap. Not only does the Dortmund-born attacker get to run around in his favourite colour yellow every week, he also dresses up as his childhood heroes. Not just in the Bundesliga. Reus was mad about Batman as a child, something he discussed in a sports equipment commercial in which he and Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon quiz each other on each other’s favourite colour and other trivial things.
His attacking partner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrated his derby goal against Schalke in February with a Batman mask, arm in arm with Reus, who beamed with joy despite being relegated to sidekick Robin, showing he is just as happy to play the role of assister, as well as finisher.
Neuer denies Reus
He has set up six of Dortmund’s goals this season in the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB Pokal, scoring a further ten. He’s also had 70 shots on goal and assisted 56. On Saturday he will have the opportunity to add to that tally during the away match at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
“He has always been incredibly important to the team, it’s crazy how many goals he is involved in”, said manager Jürgen Klopp recently about Reus, who missed ten games in the first half of the season and has had a huge influence on Dortmund’s resurgence since the winter break. Only last week in the 1-0 defeat to Bayern München he came close to beating World Goalkeeper of the Year Manuel Neuer with a great free kick towards the end of the game.
"I’m mentally strong"
Germany manager Joachim Löw is also happy the return of his star man, who not only missed the World Cup in Brazil, but also the Euro qualifiers against Poland, Ireland and Gibraltar. “Two or three times I have caught myself thinking about it, I missed the World Cup and I would have loved things to have been different. But you need to deal with setbacks like that, even in day-to-day life things aren’t always perfect. That’s how it has been for me in the last year. But I am strong enough mentally and I know how to deal with this”, said Reus in an interview with DFB.de.
He shone once again during the 2-0 win over Georgia, scoring the first goal and hitting the crossbar twice. “Our style is more dangerous and variable with him back”, praised Löw. “We understand each other very well”, said Mario Götze, who set up Reus’ goal. These days, though, only in a Germany kit, since Götze’s switch to München.
Return to old club
Reus missed the DFB Cup match against Hoffenheim on Tuesday with a slight injury, but should be back in training on Friday, just in time for the game against his old employers Borussia Mönchengladbach. Following his comeback for club and country, the thrida and final return awaits Reus – to Mönchengladbach, where he rose to stardom in the Bundesliga and for the national team, after joining them as a youngster from Dortmund. Reus scored 41 goals in 109 appearances, setting up a further 28.
Once upon a time Dortmund had branded Reus too slim to be a professional footballer. Today he lights up the stage in Dortmund with his flair, pace, creativity and unpredictability 77% of his passes reach their intended recipient. In Dortmund, where the much courted Reus recently signed a contract extension until 2019, they have known for a long time what a player they have in Marco. He still needs to lead them to Europe, however. BVB are four points off seventh place in the table, which could help them secure Europa League football. The Champions League, which opponents Mönchengladbach should qualify directly for if they finish third, has already been written off by everyone at Dortmund.
created by mmc/jm
DFB.de regularly previews a national team player ahead of an important weekend for their club side. This week we have chosen Marco Reus, whose Borussia Dortmund side face his old club Borussia Mönchengladbach in their hunt for Europa League football.
Marco Reus is a happy chap. Not only does the Dortmund-born attacker get to run around in his favourite colour yellow every week, he also dresses up as his childhood heroes. Not just in the Bundesliga. Reus was mad about Batman as a child, something he discussed in a sports equipment commercial in which he and Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon quiz each other on each other’s favourite colour and other trivial things.
His attacking partner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrated his derby goal against Schalke in February with a Batman mask, arm in arm with Reus, who beamed with joy despite being relegated to sidekick Robin, showing he is just as happy to play the role of assister, as well as finisher.
Neuer denies Reus
He has set up six of Dortmund’s goals this season in the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB Pokal, scoring a further ten. He’s also had 70 shots on goal and assisted 56. On Saturday he will have the opportunity to add to that tally during the away match at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
“He has always been incredibly important to the team, it’s crazy how many goals he is involved in”, said manager Jürgen Klopp recently about Reus, who missed ten games in the first half of the season and has had a huge influence on Dortmund’s resurgence since the winter break. Only last week in the 1-0 defeat to Bayern München he came close to beating World Goalkeeper of the Year Manuel Neuer with a great free kick towards the end of the game.
"I’m mentally strong"
Germany manager Joachim Löw is also happy the return of his star man, who not only missed the World Cup in Brazil, but also the Euro qualifiers against Poland, Ireland and Gibraltar. “Two or three times I have caught myself thinking about it, I missed the World Cup and I would have loved things to have been different. But you need to deal with setbacks like that, even in day-to-day life things aren’t always perfect. That’s how it has been for me in the last year. But I am strong enough mentally and I know how to deal with this”, said Reus in an interview with DFB.de.
He shone once again during the 2-0 win over Georgia, scoring the first goal and hitting the crossbar twice. “Our style is more dangerous and variable with him back”, praised Löw. “We understand each other very well”, said Mario Götze, who set up Reus’ goal. These days, though, only in a Germany kit, since Götze’s switch to München.
Return to old club
Reus missed the DFB Cup match against Hoffenheim on Tuesday with a slight injury, but should be back in training on Friday, just in time for the game against his old employers Borussia Mönchengladbach. Following his comeback for club and country, the thrida and final return awaits Reus – to Mönchengladbach, where he rose to stardom in the Bundesliga and for the national team, after joining them as a youngster from Dortmund. Reus scored 41 goals in 109 appearances, setting up a further 28.
Once upon a time Dortmund had branded Reus too slim to be a professional footballer. Today he lights up the stage in Dortmund with his flair, pace, creativity and unpredictability 77% of his passes reach their intended recipient. In Dortmund, where the much courted Reus recently signed a contract extension until 2019, they have known for a long time what a player they have in Marco. He still needs to lead them to Europe, however. BVB are four points off seventh place in the table, which could help them secure Europa League football. The Champions League, which opponents Mönchengladbach should qualify directly for if they finish third, has already been written off by everyone at Dortmund.
