Julian Brandt: "At Borussia Dortmund, you always believe can win"
Julian Brandt scored twice in four second half minutes to turn Borussia Dortmund's DFB Cup tie against Borussia Mönchengladbach around, which the midfielder says is something that BVB players always believe is possible.
It may not have been a Bundesliga game, but for Brandt, turning a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 win in the second half against the league leaders is always a confidence-building thing.
Brandt spoke to bundesliga.com after the DFB Cup second round win - which they did without captain Marco Reus - and how the squad's never-say-die attitude can help Dortmund going forward...
bundesliga.com: Julian Brandt, how do you feel after that hard-fought win over Borussia Mönchengladbach?
Julian Brandt: "It feels good, even though not everything went well in the game. There were ups and downs. But if you turn a game around within the space of just a few minutes against the Bundesliga leaders, that's certainly good for self-confidence. This win does a lot of good for the team."
bundesliga.com: Lucien Favre hurt himself celebrating your second goal…
Brandt: "(laughs) I was just told. I spoke to him and he said it was a nice pain."
bundesliga.com: How important is it as a team to be able to come back from behind?
Brandt: "I sometimes wonder what actually makes a team better. Whether it's a simple 4-0 win or a victory in which you were in trouble beforehand. To go 0-1 down after 70 minutes is something you have to cope with, first of all. I think something like that is overestimated and does a lot of good for the team. Of course, we start at zero again vs. Wolfsburg on Saturday. But a reaction like the one we showed tonight, in a knockout game, is something you like to take with you to the next game. You can see that our self-confidence isn't 100 per cent there right now. You have to improve that by winning games. It's inside the boys, but you have to work it out for yourself."
bundesliga.com: What were you thinking when you went behind?
Brandt: "Pressure is always there but if you go behind so late on in a game then you also have time against you. Then you're feeling down, but you have to keep going. It was good that we played at home. You just have to keep believing in it. A lot of crazy things have happened with Dortmund before so you always believe that you can turn a game around and win."
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bundesliga.com: You played in your favourite spot, the No.10 position in midfield, with Marco Reus out. How would you rate your own performance?
Brandt: "I still had problems getting into the game properly in the first half. But in the second half, I felt more secure and was getting into the routine more. Then came those moments when I set-up chances. If that would have been the moment when the dam was broken in front of goal then even better. But personally, it was extremely important to reward myself with goals. If you can do it by helping turn a 0-1 deficit around with two goals to win the game, then it's all better."
bundesliga.com: Where will you play when Marco Reus is fit again?
Brandt: "(laughs) We'll see. You can see when Marco is missing on the pitch. He's a very good player and, of course, you're always keen to be together with him on the pitch. We'll find a solution in the coming weeks. We still have so many games, because neither Marco or I will play in every single game. Mario Götze can also play in this position. We have so many good players. But I always want Marco to be on the pitch."
bundesliga.com: Lucien Favre was very emotional again on the sidelines. Has he changed, in your view?
Brandt: "I have to be quite honest and say that with 80,000 people in the stadium, you don't hear what comes from the sideline. Of course, there are some players who only had Jürgen Klopp as a predecessor, a guy who does a lot of moving around, to push you on. But there are also many coaches who are calmer and are also successful. In this point, Lucien Favre has a tough job living up to his predecessors in Dortmund. But I don't think that’s a problem. At least not for me, I'm fine with it."
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