World Cup winners Matthias Ginter and Kevin Großkreutz had to make do with a place on the bench in recent games, but started in the 1-1 draw with RSC Anderlecht in Borussia Dortmund’s final match in the group stages of the Champions League. BVB manager Jürgen Klopp made six changes to the side that recorded a 1-0 victory against TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga last Friday. DFB.de spoke to Ginter and Großkreutz following the game with Anderlecht.
DFB.de: Mr. Ginter, only a draw against Anderlecht but Dortmund still won their group – are you satisfied?
Matthias Ginter: Our main aim was to win the group. Furthermore, we would have obviously liked to win the game and it’s a shame that it didn’t work out. We had enough chances to score more goals and therefore it’s slightly disappointing this evening. On the other hand the draw was enough to win the group and that’s what counts.
DFB.de: How would you rate Dortmund’s performance against Anderlecht?
Ginter: We will take a closer look and analyse the game before our match against Hertha BSC. I think we allowed them to counter a few times, especially in the first half. We weren’t as compact in these situations as we had intended to be. But our attacking game looked improved and we kept pushing forward in the second half, even after taking the lead. The only thing that we were missing was a second goal.
DFB.de: Dortmund’s change of goalkeeper is a much talked about topic amongst the public. Is it also a talking point in the team?
Ginter: That’s the manager’s decision. We are a team and still work that way. The keeper situation isn’t a major topic of discussion for us, as it is in the media.
DFB.de: Mr. Großkreutz, are you a bit upset about failing to secure a victory in your last group game?
Kevin Großkreutz: We won the group and are satisfied and happy about it. It was a tough group and finishing first was always going to be tough but we pulled through in the end. We are back in the Round of 16 – which is great and a huge achievement.
DFB.de: Dortmund created a lot of chances against Anderlecht and produced 20 shots in total. Is it sometimes a feeling of despair when the ball just simply doesn’t want to go in?
Großkreutz: Not at all. You have to create chances first of all and that’s what we did. It would be even worse if we had no chances at all. I’m sure that we will start scoring more goals again soon.
DFB.de: There were six changes to the side that won against Hoffenheim, although manager Klopp had advertised stability before the game. How difficult was it for you on the pitch?
Großkreutz: Obviously six changes can make things difficult on the pitch, but we have so much quality in our squad that it shouldn’t be a problem. It was also nice to see three of our long-term injured players return.
DFB.de: The Champions League returns in February. Who would you like to play in the Round of 16?
Großkreutz: Barca wouldn’t be a bad draw for us. Our main aim was to be among the last 16 clubs in the competition and having accomplished that makes us happy. It’s great for the club of Borussia Dortmund.
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World Cup winners Matthias Ginter and Kevin Großkreutz had to make do with a place on the bench in recent games, but started in the 1-1 draw with RSC Anderlecht in Borussia Dortmund’s final match in the group stages of the Champions League. BVB manager Jürgen Klopp made six changes to the side that recorded a 1-0 victory against TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga last Friday. DFB.de spoke to Ginter and Großkreutz following the game with Anderlecht.
DFB.de: Mr. Ginter, only a draw against Anderlecht but Dortmund still won their group – are you satisfied?
Matthias Ginter: Our main aim was to win the group. Furthermore, we would have obviously liked to win the game and it’s a shame that it didn’t work out. We had enough chances to score more goals and therefore it’s slightly disappointing this evening. On the other hand the draw was enough to win the group and that’s what counts.
DFB.de: How would you rate Dortmund’s performance against Anderlecht?
Ginter: We will take a closer look and analyse the game before our match against Hertha BSC. I think we allowed them to counter a few times, especially in the first half. We weren’t as compact in these situations as we had intended to be. But our attacking game looked improved and we kept pushing forward in the second half, even after taking the lead. The only thing that we were missing was a second goal.
DFB.de: Dortmund’s change of goalkeeper is a much talked about topic amongst the public. Is it also a talking point in the team?
Ginter: That’s the manager’s decision. We are a team and still work that way. The keeper situation isn’t a major topic of discussion for us, as it is in the media.
DFB.de: Mr. Großkreutz, are you a bit upset about failing to secure a victory in your last group game?
Kevin Großkreutz: We won the group and are satisfied and happy about it. It was a tough group and finishing first was always going to be tough but we pulled through in the end. We are back in the Round of 16 – which is great and a huge achievement.
DFB.de: Dortmund created a lot of chances against Anderlecht and produced 20 shots in total. Is it sometimes a feeling of despair when the ball just simply doesn’t want to go in?
Großkreutz: Not at all. You have to create chances first of all and that’s what we did. It would be even worse if we had no chances at all. I’m sure that we will start scoring more goals again soon.
DFB.de: There were six changes to the side that won against Hoffenheim, although manager Klopp had advertised stability before the game. How difficult was it for you on the pitch?
Großkreutz: Obviously six changes can make things difficult on the pitch, but we have so much quality in our squad that it shouldn’t be a problem. It was also nice to see three of our long-term injured players return.
DFB.de: The Champions League returns in February. Who would you like to play in the Round of 16?
Großkreutz: Barca wouldn’t be a bad draw for us. Our main aim was to be among the last 16 clubs in the competition and having accomplished that makes us happy. It’s great for the club of Borussia Dortmund.
