An Interview With Manuel Neuer about the latest defeats for Schalke04
Here is an interview with Manuel Neuer that i found. He answears questions about the latest 5 defeats in a row, before Schalke04 won the match against Freiburg by 2-1. Here is the link to die offizielle webseite where the interview is published.
http://www.bundesliga.de/en/liga/news/2009/index.php?f=163702.php
Question: Manuel Neuer, there are a lot of happy Borussia Dortmund people around here at the moment. That was surely a painful defeat against BVB?
Manuel Neuer: We're disappointed and sad about the performance we put in. For me, it didn't even look like a derby. Watching from the back, it seemed more like a friendly that we weren't totally committed to. The problem is, we didn't go out there with our heads held high. Still, that's only to be expected after the defeats of the past few weeks. We need to battle our way into the game, and earn back our self-confidence with hard work. But the will wasn't there. This is exactly the kind of game where you have to make your presence felt man-on-man, with the right kind of aggression. We didn't do that, and we deserved to lose by the margin that we did.
Question: But teams attach so much importance to derbies like this. Why did it not work out at all?
Neuer: I think each player was highly motivated on an individual level. I certainly was. I can't explain why we played in such a dispirited way, with so little aggression. That was the problem, that's what broke us. Our local rivals were quite simply much the better side.
Question: After the break Schalke briefly showed that the spirit was indeed willing. Was the necessary bit of luck missing at that stage, to just get the ball in the back of the net?
Neuer: You have to work as well to earn that luck. It wasn't enough, and that's why the ball's not going in.
Question: What can be done in this situation?
Neuer: It's up to each and every individual. We need to think about how we play football. It can't go on like this. We have to do the simple things properly. This isn't the time to be trying out complicated stuff. As I said, we need to impose ourselves on the game physically and build up our self-confidence from there. And then we've got to actually score in the course of the game.
Question: As captain, how are you going to keep all the unsettling external factors away from the team?
Neuer: Every player has to come to terms with that. We're all old enough. We have to be able to handle pressure every week. We can't start thinking about criticism from outside the club. We need to focus on ourselves and dispense with all the side-issues.
Question: How difficult is the fact that the team have no time to work through their problems, with the next game already coming up on Wednesday at Freiburg?
Neuer: The fact is, it's not going to get any easier. We're away to Freiburg, who are on a bit of a run at the moment. We didn't do well against them last season, drawing 0-0 away and losing 1-0 at home. We'll have to raise our game.
Question: What makes you hopeful that you will?
Neuer: Right now, it can only get better.
Recorded by Tobias Gonscherowski
http://www.bundesliga.de/en/liga/news/2009/index.php?f=163702.php
Question: Manuel Neuer, there are a lot of happy Borussia Dortmund people around here at the moment. That was surely a painful defeat against BVB?
Manuel Neuer: We're disappointed and sad about the performance we put in. For me, it didn't even look like a derby. Watching from the back, it seemed more like a friendly that we weren't totally committed to. The problem is, we didn't go out there with our heads held high. Still, that's only to be expected after the defeats of the past few weeks. We need to battle our way into the game, and earn back our self-confidence with hard work. But the will wasn't there. This is exactly the kind of game where you have to make your presence felt man-on-man, with the right kind of aggression. We didn't do that, and we deserved to lose by the margin that we did.
Question: But teams attach so much importance to derbies like this. Why did it not work out at all?
Neuer: I think each player was highly motivated on an individual level. I certainly was. I can't explain why we played in such a dispirited way, with so little aggression. That was the problem, that's what broke us. Our local rivals were quite simply much the better side.
Question: After the break Schalke briefly showed that the spirit was indeed willing. Was the necessary bit of luck missing at that stage, to just get the ball in the back of the net?
Neuer: You have to work as well to earn that luck. It wasn't enough, and that's why the ball's not going in.
Question: What can be done in this situation?
Neuer: It's up to each and every individual. We need to think about how we play football. It can't go on like this. We have to do the simple things properly. This isn't the time to be trying out complicated stuff. As I said, we need to impose ourselves on the game physically and build up our self-confidence from there. And then we've got to actually score in the course of the game.
Question: As captain, how are you going to keep all the unsettling external factors away from the team?
Neuer: Every player has to come to terms with that. We're all old enough. We have to be able to handle pressure every week. We can't start thinking about criticism from outside the club. We need to focus on ourselves and dispense with all the side-issues.
Question: How difficult is the fact that the team have no time to work through their problems, with the next game already coming up on Wednesday at Freiburg?
Neuer: The fact is, it's not going to get any easier. We're away to Freiburg, who are on a bit of a run at the moment. We didn't do well against them last season, drawing 0-0 away and losing 1-0 at home. We'll have to raise our game.
Question: What makes you hopeful that you will?
Neuer: Right now, it can only get better.
Recorded by Tobias Gonscherowski
