Germany international Julian Weigl came out of Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 home victory over RB Leipzig on Bundesliga matchday 19 with a swollen lip, but that did not keep the crafty midfielder from smiling. The 21-year old once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in Germany under the watchful eyes of 81,360 spectators in the Signal-Iduna-Park, including Germany coach Joachim Löw.
Weigl covered the most ground for BVB (11.05 km) and won the most challenges (22). In this interview with DFB.de the Germany international talks about the three vital points against Leipzig, the offside goal in stoppage time, Löw watching the game from the stands and the DFB Cup round of 16 encounter with Hertha BSC this coming Wednesday in Dortmund.
Question: Mr. Weigl, Germany coach Joachim Löw was in the stadium today. Were you able to present yourself in a way that will urge him to nominate you for the national team again?
Weigl: I did not even know that he was here, but I really gave everything during the game. In the end, it is his decision whether to include me or not.
Question: Your effort left visible scars on your face. How did you get the swollen lip?
Weigl: I ran into Rani Khedira. These types of bruises just come with the territory; I am a defensive midfielder after all.
Question: Was there a particularly special atmosphere in the stadium?
Weigl: Yes, you could already tell before the game that this was a special one for the fans. It was important for us to have them on our side from the starting whistle and we could feel them pushing us forward. Our fans also played their part in earning this victory.
Germany international Julian Weigl came out of Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 home victory over RB Leipzig on Bundesliga matchday 19 with a swollen lip, but that did not keep the crafty midfielder from smiling. The 21-year old once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in Germany under the watchful eyes of 81,360 spectators in the Signal-Iduna-Park, including Germany coach Joachim Löw.
Weigl covered the most ground for BVB (11.05 km) and won the most challenges (22). In this interview with DFB.de the Germany international talks about the three vital points against Leipzig, the offside goal in stoppage time, Löw watching the game from the stands and the DFB Cup round of 16 encounter with Hertha BSC this coming Wednesday in Dortmund.
Question: Mr. Weigl, Germany coach Joachim Löw was in the stadium today. Were you able to present yourself in a way that will urge him to nominate you for the national team again?
Weigl: I did not even know that he was here, but I really gave everything during the game. In the end, it is his decision whether to include me or not.
Question: Your effort left visible scars on your face. How did you get the swollen lip?
Weigl: I ran into Rani Khedira. These types of bruises just come with the territory; I am a defensive midfielder after all.
Question: Was there a particularly special atmosphere in the stadium?
Weigl: Yes, you could already tell before the game that this was a special one for the fans. It was important for us to have them on our side from the starting whistle and we could feel them pushing us forward. Our fans also played their part in earning this victory.
Question: Did the tactics of your coach Thomas Tuchel play out as planned?
Weigl: I think so. We were very well prepared and knew that this would not be a typical game where we could string a lot of short passes together, have a lot of possession and create our chances through combinations. We knew that a fighting mentality was required against Leipzig and winning the second halls. The pressed us very high up the pitch, which meant we often had to resort to playing a long ball forward. But we were successful in challenging for the ball, which certainly means our plan worked out.
Question: Were you at all worried in the closing stages of the game, when Palacios Martinez scored the equaliser for Leipzig but the referee rightfully disallowed the goal due to offside?
Weigl:To a certain extent yes. I think we defended very, very well in this game. Their offside goal was a prime example of what we had studied in our video analysis: it was not a clearly created goal, but rather came from winning a second ball, which Leipzig like to do a lot. For the entire game we managed to get in a last-ditch tackle, but when that was not the case right before the final whistle I was obviously somewhat disappointed. But I quickly realised that the linesman had his flag raised, which was definitely a relief.
Question:What are your thoughts on Wednesday’s Cup encounter with Hertha in the round of 16?
Weigl: I am unable to think about that right after a game like this one. I am just happy about this match and our victory. But we will definitely start to prepare for the match over the next few days. I am confident that Berlin will not prevail in our stadium.
