André Schürrle has experienced the semi-finals of the Champions League once before with Chelsea in 2014 when he faced Atletico Madrid but it is something he has never taken part in with Wolfsburg. The hopes of the team from Niedersachsen will rest on the World Champion tonight in the second leg against Real Madrid (20:45 CEST), as he confirmed his return to form ahead of the showdown by netting against his former club Mainz at the weekend. “It will be a brutally difficult game,” said Schürrle, whose team picked up a surprising 2-0 victory in the first leg against Real. “We’ll be running for our lives.”
Schürrle scored his first goal against his former employers at the seventh attempt in the 1-1 draw. At Mainz he matured into a Bundesliga regular before then playing for the national side. He took part in the Champions League firstly in Bayer Leverkusen’s colours and then again with Chelsea, making himself internationally known in the process. He also wrote himself into the history books with the assist for Germany’s winner in extra time in the 2014 World Cup final. He is now looking to write even more history with Wolfsburg. The quarterfinals were already uncharted territory for the Wolves who have not had the successful Bundesliga season they envisaged. However, getting to the semi-finals by beating Real Madrid would really cap off their campaign.
Head Coach Hecking: “He keeps getting better”
Head coach Dieter Hecking speaks especially highly of the hard-working World Champion, who needed a little bit of time after his move from London to return to his best. “It is good for all of us that he has turned a corner,” said Hecking, who has never doubted Schürrle’s potential, so he has demanded more from his new recruit at times. “I am really happy with his development. I am constantly pushing him because he keeps getting better,” said Hecking. The 25-year-old’s development isn’t finished yet though. The difficult away game at the Santiago Bernabau will not just be important for Wolfsburg, but for Schürrle personally.
Schürrle sealed a point for his side against his former club at the weekend with a delightful chip over goalkeeper Loris Karius. In the lead up, he had run half of the pitch to chase down an opponent. “He played very well” commented Hecking. Schürrle had as many shots at goal as the entire Mainz team during the 90 minutes he played. Hecking: “He was all over the place, he put himself about and won the ball back on a number of occasions and of course scored the goal.” Martin Schmidt had warned his players about Schürrle before the game, “He’s quick, dribbles well and is lethal in front of goal – it will be a big challenge to defend against him. We’ll have to keep a close eye on him,” said Schmidt. He continued, saying he “would very much like to see Schürrle in Mainz” as a part of his team.
Back to his best
Schürrle has found form at a pivotal time in the season thanks to his new found mental strength, “I have managed to start seeing the negative phases has temporary lapses. I can now put a line under them in my head and keep on giving my all,” said Schürrle in an interview with Focus. His 50th appearance for the national team against England in Berlin was also an important step on his return to form and Schürrle only had positive things to say about the national side: “I had an unbelievable amount of fun there. I was playing together with some of the best players in the world! They are an amazing group of people!”
Wolfsburg will need players like Schürrle to step up tonight against a strong Madrid side, as he is someone who can counter quickly, take the pressure off the defence and decide matches in the blink of an eye. “On Tuesday I will need him to be just as energetic as he was today,” said head coach Hecking after the draw with Mainz. Real Madrid are currently still third in the Primera Division, despite the fact that table-toppers Barcelona picked up their second loss in a row against Real Sociedad at the weekend. In the first-leg, before the penalty to give the hosts a 1-0 lead, Schürrle only managed to get into the Real Madrid box on a few occasions. Wolfsburg will be hoping that there is nothing stopping him in the second leg.
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André Schürrle has experienced the semi-finals of the Champions League once before with Chelsea in 2014 when he faced Atletico Madrid but it is something he has never taken part in with Wolfsburg. The hopes of the team from Niedersachsen will rest on the World Champion tonight in the second leg against Real Madrid (20:45 CEST), as he confirmed his return to form ahead of the showdown by netting against his former club Mainz at the weekend. “It will be a brutally difficult game,” said Schürrle, whose team picked up a surprising 2-0 victory in the first leg against Real. “We’ll be running for our lives.”
Schürrle scored his first goal against his former employers at the seventh attempt in the 1-1 draw. At Mainz he matured into a Bundesliga regular before then playing for the national side. He took part in the Champions League firstly in Bayer Leverkusen’s colours and then again with Chelsea, making himself internationally known in the process. He also wrote himself into the history books with the assist for Germany’s winner in extra time in the 2014 World Cup final. He is now looking to write even more history with Wolfsburg. The quarterfinals were already uncharted territory for the Wolves who have not had the successful Bundesliga season they envisaged. However, getting to the semi-finals by beating Real Madrid would really cap off their campaign.
Head Coach Hecking: “He keeps getting better”
Head coach Dieter Hecking speaks especially highly of the hard-working World Champion, who needed a little bit of time after his move from London to return to his best. “It is good for all of us that he has turned a corner,” said Hecking, who has never doubted Schürrle’s potential, so he has demanded more from his new recruit at times. “I am really happy with his development. I am constantly pushing him because he keeps getting better,” said Hecking. The 25-year-old’s development isn’t finished yet though. The difficult away game at the Santiago Bernabau will not just be important for Wolfsburg, but for Schürrle personally.
Schürrle sealed a point for his side against his former club at the weekend with a delightful chip over goalkeeper Loris Karius. In the lead up, he had run half of the pitch to chase down an opponent. “He played very well” commented Hecking. Schürrle had as many shots at goal as the entire Mainz team during the 90 minutes he played. Hecking: “He was all over the place, he put himself about and won the ball back on a number of occasions and of course scored the goal.” Martin Schmidt had warned his players about Schürrle before the game, “He’s quick, dribbles well and is lethal in front of goal – it will be a big challenge to defend against him. We’ll have to keep a close eye on him,” said Schmidt. He continued, saying he “would very much like to see Schürrle in Mainz” as a part of his team.
Back to his best
Schürrle has found form at a pivotal time in the season thanks to his new found mental strength, “I have managed to start seeing the negative phases has temporary lapses. I can now put a line under them in my head and keep on giving my all,” said Schürrle in an interview with Focus. His 50th appearance for the national team against England in Berlin was also an important step on his return to form and Schürrle only had positive things to say about the national side: “I had an unbelievable amount of fun there. I was playing together with some of the best players in the world! They are an amazing group of people!”
Wolfsburg will need players like Schürrle to step up tonight against a strong Madrid side, as he is someone who can counter quickly, take the pressure off the defence and decide matches in the blink of an eye. “On Tuesday I will need him to be just as energetic as he was today,” said head coach Hecking after the draw with Mainz. Real Madrid are currently still third in the Primera Division, despite the fact that table-toppers Barcelona picked up their second loss in a row against Real Sociedad at the weekend. In the first-leg, before the penalty to give the hosts a 1-0 lead, Schürrle only managed to get into the Real Madrid box on a few occasions. Wolfsburg will be hoping that there is nothing stopping him in the second leg.
