…the good run of form for Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: We're extremely happy that the lads up front are doing well at the moment. Scoring goals is crucial to our success. Taking the lead really helped us win in Freiburg. It gave us self-confidence and that was reflected in the third goal, when our forwards showed glimpses of their quality. It’s important that continue to be solid at the back and don’t concede, but that we also carry on scoring. That has gone really well during the last three games.
…the low point after the 1-0 loss against Augsburg: The Augsburg game was so hard to take because we went behind. We didn’t play that badly. We had a plan that we executed to perfection during the first half. That means we didn’t really get criticised at half time. We wanted to carry on like that and not give them any opportunities to score, but then Raul Bobadilla thwarted that plan. We didn’t cope well with conceding and started running around like headless chickens.
…changes in the victory over Mainz: We have spoken previously about how we could possibly end up going behind in games. However, we’ve also said that if that should happen, we need to compose ourselves, continue to play our football and not simply charge forward without thought and play long balls. That was the case against Mainz that we tried to regain control of the game and then create chances for ourselves.
…Klopp‘s half-time team talk against Mainz: The team completely believed at half time that we could turn the game around. The manager’s team talk further spurred us on as we already had the same feeling. Conceding early fitted the pattern from the first half of the season. However, there’s no point in giving up with 89 minutes left to play and simply saying, “It’s not meant to be”.
…the upcoming Champions League and DFB Cup fixtures: I always enjoy midweek fixtures because that means that we’re still involved in all three competitions.
Marcel Schmelzer is experiencing an upwards trend at the moment. Borussia Dortmund have finally left the relegation zone after winning 3-0 in Freiburg and 4-2 against Mainz, picking up seven points from their four games in 2015.
The 27-year-old's personal form is also improving after an injury-ridden first half of the season. The left back has started Dortmund's last seven Bundesliga games. An appearance tonight (20:30 CET) would be his 161st in the top flight. DFB.de listened to what he had to say ahead of Friday evening's meeting with VfB Stuttgart.
Marcel Schmelzer on...
…the situation in the table after matchday 21: We’re not really interested in the other teams' results. We just have to focus on our own games. We've done that really well for the last two games against Freiburg and Mainz, collecting the maximum six points. The only thing that will help us to move away from the bottom of the table is winning our own games.
…the clash with last-placed VfB Stuttgart: It's going to be a really difficult game. We want to play the way we have done in the last two matches. It’s an opportunity to gain ground; we can make amends for dropping points against Stuttgart in the first half of the season and we can put a bit more of gap between us and them. That’s our goal. The more distance we can put between us and the relegation zone, the better.
…the playing style in the relegation battle: We were usually the better team during the first half of the season and saw more of the ball, but we lost many of those games because we always conceded first. Since the winter break we've been trying to keep a clean sheet, the way we did in Leverkusen. That wasn’t a good game of football, but in this kind of situation, it doesn’t really matter if we play good football - it’s more important that we pick up points.
…BVB defence’s performances: Generally, I’m quite happy with them. It’s definitely going better that during the first half of the season, even if the media sometimes still describe us as having somewhat of an unreliable defence. We've conceded three goals in four games - that’s not too bad. Of course we weren’t happy about the way we allowed Mainz to score against us. However, like I said, I’m generally quite happy.
…being criticised: Really? I didn’t even know about that. To be honest, I’m a bit surprised. I don’t see the games the way other people apparently do. I’m really happy with them and I’m building on that. The most important thing is staying healthy and improving from game to game.
…finding his old form: The first half of the season went really badly for me, especially when I fractured my hand. That ruled me out for six or seven weeks. It was a bitter blow. Being able to join in with the whole of the winter preparations helped me find my stride again.
…the good run of form for Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: We're extremely happy that the lads up front are doing well at the moment. Scoring goals is crucial to our success. Taking the lead really helped us win in Freiburg. It gave us self-confidence and that was reflected in the third goal, when our forwards showed glimpses of their quality. It’s important that continue to be solid at the back and don’t concede, but that we also carry on scoring. That has gone really well during the last three games.
…the low point after the 1-0 loss against Augsburg: The Augsburg game was so hard to take because we went behind. We didn’t play that badly. We had a plan that we executed to perfection during the first half. That means we didn’t really get criticised at half time. We wanted to carry on like that and not give them any opportunities to score, but then Raul Bobadilla thwarted that plan. We didn’t cope well with conceding and started running around like headless chickens.
…changes in the victory over Mainz: We have spoken previously about how we could possibly end up going behind in games. However, we’ve also said that if that should happen, we need to compose ourselves, continue to play our football and not simply charge forward without thought and play long balls. That was the case against Mainz that we tried to regain control of the game and then create chances for ourselves.
…Klopp‘s half-time team talk against Mainz: The team completely believed at half time that we could turn the game around. The manager’s team talk further spurred us on as we already had the same feeling. Conceding early fitted the pattern from the first half of the season. However, there’s no point in giving up with 89 minutes left to play and simply saying, “It’s not meant to be”.
…the upcoming Champions League and DFB Cup fixtures: I always enjoy midweek fixtures because that means that we’re still involved in all three competitions.
