It’s been goal after goal after goal for Borussia Mönchengladbach’s captain Lars Stindl, who has been unstoppable as of late. He fired his team ahead with a penalty in the DFB Cup quarter-final against Hamburger SV, as the foals progressed to the semi-final with a 2:1 victory. The match is to be played at home on either the 25th or 26th of April, against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Lars Stindl received special praise from manager Dieter Hecking following the cup match in Hamburg. “He’s always a presence in the game, continuously making the right decisions. When something doesn’t go his way, he finds his way back into it. He’s in phenomenal form.” The 28 year-old forward spoke to DFB.de about his run of form and his plans for summer.
Question: Mr Stindl, you now have eight goals in as many games, so it’s going extremely well.
Lars Stindl: Yes, I’m just very happy that we’ve progressed one round further. It was a tough match, especially to begin with. We knew that HSV would come out with an aggressive mentality after their heavy defeat in Munich (An 8-0 loss to Bayern last weekend). We were lucky not to fall behind in the first half. Our counterattacking and positioning weren’t on point, but after half-time we smoothed out the problems and were correctly awarded two penalties which we converted.
Question: After your goal, Raffael took the second penalty. Were you not interested in scoring another penalty?
Stindl: No. I discussed it briefly with Raffael. He has already converted so many crucial penalties, so after his tough time recovering from his injury, it was great for him to score as well.
Question: In your last Bundesliga game against Hamburg in October, your team was awarded two penalties but missed them both. Was that in the back of your mind at all?
Stindl: Obviously we wanted to block that out, but ultimately the memory does creep into the back of your mind. At the time it was a very, very interesting match. Now I simply try to put the ball into the back of the net cleanly, just like in any other game.
Question: If a team is particularly good at scoring penalties, do you think that they have the potential to go far in the DFB Cup and the Europa League?
Stindl: It’s already fantastic that we’re one of the last four teams remaining in the DFB Cup. Many of us have never been to the semi-final, and personally this is the most success in the cup that I’ve had throughout my career.
Question: Have you ever had a better run of form than the one you’re going through now?
Stindl: No, I don’t think so. For now I’m just grateful that it’s going so well. I’m aware that I’ve missed a chance here or there, but I do play with maximum effort every game and try to create goals.
Question: Today your goal opened the scoring, and against Fiorentina it was the equaliser. You seem to have a knack for scoring when it matters most.
Stindl: Yes, but it does depend each and every time on the situation at hand. At the end of the day my teammates put me in a great position, and I just try to be as clinical as I can. That’s the role I have to play as the finisher, and what we practice repeatedly. Everything’s just coming together right now, and it’s going great.
Question : National team manager Joachim Löw said in an interview that the Confederations Cup would be a good test for you to play on the international stage for a longer period. Have you booked your summer vacation yet?
Stindl: My holiday plans are somewhat already sorted.
Question: Booked with free cancellation?
Stindl: (laughs) No, it hasn’t been something I’ve thought about much. We’re playing in so many competitions right now and it’s been so much fun with the squad. For that reason I haven’t been thinking about much else apart from football, I’m just happy that we won today, are still in the Europa League, and that we’ve made a buffer for ourselves in the Bundesliga. We can enjoy that now, and then turn our attention towards the match against Schalke.
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It’s been goal after goal after goal for Borussia Mönchengladbach’s captain Lars Stindl, who has been unstoppable as of late. He fired his team ahead with a penalty in the DFB Cup quarter-final against Hamburger SV, as the foals progressed to the semi-final with a 2:1 victory. The match is to be played at home on either the 25th or 26th of April, against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Lars Stindl received special praise from manager Dieter Hecking following the cup match in Hamburg. “He’s always a presence in the game, continuously making the right decisions. When something doesn’t go his way, he finds his way back into it. He’s in phenomenal form.” The 28 year-old forward spoke to DFB.de about his run of form and his plans for summer.
Question: Mr Stindl, you now have eight goals in as many games, so it’s going extremely well.
Lars Stindl: Yes, I’m just very happy that we’ve progressed one round further. It was a tough match, especially to begin with. We knew that HSV would come out with an aggressive mentality after their heavy defeat in Munich (An 8-0 loss to Bayern last weekend). We were lucky not to fall behind in the first half. Our counterattacking and positioning weren’t on point, but after half-time we smoothed out the problems and were correctly awarded two penalties which we converted.
Question: After your goal, Raffael took the second penalty. Were you not interested in scoring another penalty?
Stindl: No. I discussed it briefly with Raffael. He has already converted so many crucial penalties, so after his tough time recovering from his injury, it was great for him to score as well.
Question: In your last Bundesliga game against Hamburg in October, your team was awarded two penalties but missed them both. Was that in the back of your mind at all?
Stindl: Obviously we wanted to block that out, but ultimately the memory does creep into the back of your mind. At the time it was a very, very interesting match. Now I simply try to put the ball into the back of the net cleanly, just like in any other game.
Question: If a team is particularly good at scoring penalties, do you think that they have the potential to go far in the DFB Cup and the Europa League?
Stindl: It’s already fantastic that we’re one of the last four teams remaining in the DFB Cup. Many of us have never been to the semi-final, and personally this is the most success in the cup that I’ve had throughout my career.
Question: Have you ever had a better run of form than the one you’re going through now?
Stindl: No, I don’t think so. For now I’m just grateful that it’s going so well. I’m aware that I’ve missed a chance here or there, but I do play with maximum effort every game and try to create goals.
Question: Today your goal opened the scoring, and against Fiorentina it was the equaliser. You seem to have a knack for scoring when it matters most.
Stindl: Yes, but it does depend each and every time on the situation at hand. At the end of the day my teammates put me in a great position, and I just try to be as clinical as I can. That’s the role I have to play as the finisher, and what we practice repeatedly. Everything’s just coming together right now, and it’s going great.
Question : National team manager Joachim Löw said in an interview that the Confederations Cup would be a good test for you to play on the international stage for a longer period. Have you booked your summer vacation yet?
Stindl: My holiday plans are somewhat already sorted.
Question: Booked with free cancellation?
Stindl: (laughs) No, it hasn’t been something I’ve thought about much. We’re playing in so many competitions right now and it’s been so much fun with the squad. For that reason I haven’t been thinking about much else apart from football, I’m just happy that we won today, are still in the Europa League, and that we’ve made a buffer for ourselves in the Bundesliga. We can enjoy that now, and then turn our attention towards the match against Schalke.
