André Schürrle wants to return to the top of the world – with Wolfsburg, the national team and also within himself. The 25-year-old attacker is currently on the Algarve coast preparing himself for a “very important half year”, as he told kicker magazine in a recent interview.
It has been a year since he switched from Chelsea to join last season’s league runners up and DFB Cup winners, VfL Wolfsburg. But it was until the final few months of 2015 the Schürrle’s form began to grow positively. In 14 games before the winter break, he was involved in as many as seven goals. Now he wants to build on that in the coming months. “I want to play a hugely important role in Wolfsburg and at the EUROs; to secure direct qualification for the Champions League and play well for the national team at the European Championship,” said the man who assisted Mario Götze’s World Cup winner on 13th July 2014.
After this magical moment when Schürrle, running at full speed, played a perfect left-footed cross, followed great disillusionment. But he does not want to hear about a lost year. “There isn’t such a thing,” he said. “Even difficult times make you better. I have learnt a lot about myself. I know that I haven’t done as well as I know I can at Wolfsburg. I also know that there are always new chances in football. The next training session, the next match. This job is so fast-paced to get caught up with such things.”
Schürrle: "I swallow frustration quickly"
Currently seventh place in the league, Wolfsburg are six points of Schürrle’s target of third place and direct Champions League qualification. Wolfsburg resume their race to the top away at Eintracht Frankfurt on 24th January (15:30 CET)
Joachim Löw will announce his squad for the EUROs at the end of May. For Schürrle, who contributed to Germany’s fourth World Cup triumph with a quarterfinal goal in extra time against Algeria and two in the famous 7-1 victory over Brazil in the semi-final, will now begin an extremely important phase in which he no longer wants to be left demoralised, even if Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking only uses him as a substitute.
Sulking, says André Schürrle, simply isn’t a part of his make-up. “I swallow the frustration very quickly, the team can’t do anything at the end of the day, he told. “I need to be there when called upon. Obviously I’d want that to be from the start.”