Julian Nagelsmann: “I always want to win”

Julian Nagelsmann on…

… the opposition:

Dortmund are incredibly strong with the ball. They look for options when in possession and above all, have great pace in their front players. Thomas Tuchel is doing extraordinary work there. There are various ways to combat this pace, you can sit deep – like most teams do against BVB – or attack them early to keep them as far as possible from your own goal. We’ll do one of these on Friday evening.

… the personnel:

Sebastian Rudy is making progress with his injury (bruised ribs), but he hasn’t recovered fully – this injury can take time to heal and be painful. We still can’t say if he’ll play or not. Kevin Vogt and Kerem Demirbay are also carrying knocks. Pavel Kaderabek had stomach problems but is fit again. Dortmund will have to be prepared for everything.

… the sporting situation I:

It will certainly be a different game to the one against Eintracht, but I'm not going into the game with any special expectations. If both teams have a good day then it’ll be a good game for the fans. In our analysis I concentrated more on Dortmund’s weaknesses than their strengths.

… the sporting situation II:

We haven’t watched any videos from the last matchday of the 2012/13 season. It would motivate me and just a few players, but most of the guys who are here today weren’t here back then – it wouldn’t have the same effect on them. We have however watched the match from the second half of last season, when we were in a worse position and still held our own with Dortmund. We’ll also get our motivation from that.

… the sporting situation III:

The current streak is nice but I've already spoken to the team about it. The run isn't our incentive, but rather every individual game. We always want to be successful. As a player, youth coach and now coaching the senior side, I've never been satisfied drawing a game. I never plan for anything worse than what's possible, that's a given. I always want to win, no matter who I play against.

Head-to-head:

TSG have won four of their 16 games against BVB, while the spoils have been shared on six occasions, with Dortmund winning eight times. The last Hoffenheim win came on the 18th of May, 2013 which all TSG fans will remember, as their team ran out 2-1 winners on the 34th matchday of the season. The last three home games against BVB have ended in draws.

The opponent’s form:

The first of two recent results that sticks out is an 8-4 win against Legia Warsaw and a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid, as Tuchel’s team came back from behind twice. However, between these two results, they lost 2-1 to Frankfurt and saved a point in the last minute against Köln. So far this season, Dortmund haven’t been able to consistently secure a place at the very top of the table but you’d be foolish to count them out.

The key duel:

To reduce a team like BVB to a single player just doesn’t feel quite right, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is having an incredible season so far, netting 15 times in 14 games. So, if you stop their lightning-quick striker, you certainly have a better chance of beating Dortmund. However, it will take the whole team to stop him.

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