The final whistle of Dortmund’s 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League didn’t mark the end of the night for Die Mannschaft stars Mats Hummels and Marco Reus as they were randomly selected to undertake a post-match drugs test. Reus had been in sparkling form, as his quickfire brace gave BVB a commanding lead going into the second-leg of their last 16 tie.
The 26-year-old attacker spoke to DFB.de after the final whistle about his performance against Spurs, his goals, the way that Borussia have developed in recent months and his personal situation at the club.
Question: Marco Reus was the game against Tottenham as easy as it seemed from the stands?
Reus: (laughs) The supporters must think every game is easy then because it was tough there. We performed well throughout the game. Tottenham rotated their side a bit but we still had a job to do. We had a plan and stuck to it. We were dominant after the break and grabbed an important third.
Question: What do you make over the overall performance?
Reus: It was a good performance. We made life tough for them, especially before the break. They’re strong on the ball, flexible and can press, so standing firm was important. Our class shone through. Every team would struggle against us when we perform like that.
Question: How nice a feeling was it to grab a brace?
Reus: It’s always a relief to score, especially when you’ve been on a barren spell and haven’t played to your potential. I set high standards of myself, so I’ve not been happy in recent weeks, however, everything came together against Tottenham and I managed to help the team win the game.
Question: Was it good to have another chance so soon after the Bayern game?
Reus: It’s not something that I’ve thought about – I’m one for looking forward and not back like that. As I just said, it was great to score two goals in order to help the team take a good lead into the return leg.
Question: BVB have been in stunning form this year, conceding just three goals. What’s changed since Christmas?
Reus: We let in some unfortunate goals before the break and sometimes there’s not much you can do about these things. However, we’ve lined up slightly more defensively in recent weeks, which is why we haven’t scored so many goals. Both aspects to our game functioned well against Spurs – we now need to consistently replicate that level of performance.
Question: What made you change the system?
Reus: The coaching staff have analysed the opponents and recognised that we need to be able to play in a number of different ways. We have some very versatile players here, so we’ve switched things up a bit and it’s worked so far.
Question: Dortmund have played 42 games this season – more than any other Bundesliga side. What are the team doing to help soften this burden?
Reus: We have to focus on regenerating properly after games, but also eating well. The coaching staff make sure that we’re ready for matchday and that’s the key thing.
Question: A couple of weeks ago you said that you weren’t quite firing on all cylinders. Has that changed now?
Reus: Things can change fast in football. Things didn’t feel right for a while but I kept working hard and the rewards are now coming. I now need to become more consistent though.
Question: How important is it for you to get a prolonged run of games this season?
Reus: It’s great. I’m doing everything I can to remain fit and continue being picked. I personally find it easy to find a rhythm and stick into it. I’m aware of my own abilities and I try to make the most of them in every game in order to help the team.
[mmc/mb]
The final whistle of Dortmund’s 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League didn’t mark the end of the night for Die Mannschaft stars Mats Hummels and Marco Reus as they were randomly selected to undertake a post-match drugs test. Reus had been in sparkling form, as his quickfire brace gave BVB a commanding lead going into the second-leg of their last 16 tie.
The 26-year-old attacker spoke to DFB.de after the final whistle about his performance against Spurs, his goals, the way that Borussia have developed in recent months and his personal situation at the club.
Question: Marco Reus was the game against Tottenham as easy as it seemed from the stands?
Reus: (laughs) The supporters must think every game is easy then because it was tough there. We performed well throughout the game. Tottenham rotated their side a bit but we still had a job to do. We had a plan and stuck to it. We were dominant after the break and grabbed an important third.
Question: What do you make over the overall performance?
Reus: It was a good performance. We made life tough for them, especially before the break. They’re strong on the ball, flexible and can press, so standing firm was important. Our class shone through. Every team would struggle against us when we perform like that.
Question: How nice a feeling was it to grab a brace?
Reus: It’s always a relief to score, especially when you’ve been on a barren spell and haven’t played to your potential. I set high standards of myself, so I’ve not been happy in recent weeks, however, everything came together against Tottenham and I managed to help the team win the game.
Question: Was it good to have another chance so soon after the Bayern game?
Reus: It’s not something that I’ve thought about – I’m one for looking forward and not back like that. As I just said, it was great to score two goals in order to help the team take a good lead into the return leg.
Question: BVB have been in stunning form this year, conceding just three goals. What’s changed since Christmas?
Reus: We let in some unfortunate goals before the break and sometimes there’s not much you can do about these things. However, we’ve lined up slightly more defensively in recent weeks, which is why we haven’t scored so many goals. Both aspects to our game functioned well against Spurs – we now need to consistently replicate that level of performance.
Question: What made you change the system?
Reus: The coaching staff have analysed the opponents and recognised that we need to be able to play in a number of different ways. We have some very versatile players here, so we’ve switched things up a bit and it’s worked so far.
Question: Dortmund have played 42 games this season – more than any other Bundesliga side. What are the team doing to help soften this burden?
Reus: We have to focus on regenerating properly after games, but also eating well. The coaching staff make sure that we’re ready for matchday and that’s the key thing.
Question: A couple of weeks ago you said that you weren’t quite firing on all cylinders. Has that changed now?
Reus: Things can change fast in football. Things didn’t feel right for a while but I kept working hard and the rewards are now coming. I now need to become more consistent though.
Question: How important is it for you to get a prolonged run of games this season?
Reus: It’s great. I’m doing everything I can to remain fit and continue being picked. I personally find it easy to find a rhythm and stick into it. I’m aware of my own abilities and I try to make the most of them in every game in order to help the team.
