Sporting director Sebastian Kehl spoke in a media round about the USA tour, yesterday’s friendly and the injuries to Julien Duranville and Nico Schlotterbeck. Here is a summary of the most important comments.

Sebastian Kehl on the USA tour:
“We got settled here very well. With a longer flight and the time difference, it takes some getting used to on the first day. But the team quickly got into the swing of things. We did everything we could to get the team into rhythm ahead of the trip. This is a new experience this year. We deliberately chose to come to America. We are not neglecting the sporting aspects, which are important to us in this phase. The conditions here are ideal. We consciously made a decision to stay here for a longer period of time in order to train intensively. Yesterday’s game showed that we still have a few issues to work on. Now we are looking forward to the two games that are still to come. The tour is packed, but with a clear focus on the sporting side of things, of course, with the additional stuff on the side. We are very happy so far. The guys are doing great and I think they feel very comfortable.”

…the performances in the friendly games:
“Of course we watched closely and discussed the match yesterday. We were not happy with all areas of the game. We scored six goals, conceded none. That is a big topic for the season ahead. We want to avoid conceding goals. But we gave away too many chances, so that’s something we want to improve. We will use the next two games and every training session to prepare for the start of the season. We have a few days remaining, but we don’t have any time to lose. Finding the balance is the challenge. We will get ourselves into the right shape, I am convinced of that.”

…the new signings: 
“We have thought a lot in the summer about how we want to offset Jude Bellingham’s departure. It was clear from the outset that we wanted to try to compensate for this with two different player profiles. In Felix and Marcel we have signed two different footballers with different ages. They are two quality players who will help us. Marcel, with his style, his experience, his player profile, his ability to score goals, but also his aggressiveness, will be very good for the team. We had been in contact for quite some time and in the end things came together quickly. It’s nice that he could join us here, even if he couldn’t play yesterday, like Felix. But I expect he will on Sunday.”

…the injuries to Julien Duranville and Nico Schlotterbeck:
“We were a bit worried yesterday. The fact that both had to be substituted was not something we planned. We will use today to carry out examinations. Up to now there have been no results. I hope it’s not too bad.”

…the captain:
“We arrived quite quickly at Emre Can, who has not only committed himself to the club by renewing his contract, but has also proven his worth impressively over the past six months. He is a top player and at a perfect age. He has a very good connection with the lads, is very present in the dressing room and also wants to take on responsibility in his new role. He is very happy and proud to be the new captain.”

…the team council: 
“It is important to choose a team council that fits well together. We have different characters together, but at the end of the day, they all share a common goal: to be successful. I have great confidence in this council. Mats Hummels is no longer on it, but I spoke to him before the decision was made. Mats has already taken on responsibility in various roles at this club. He also told me that he wanted to free up the space to allow the new generation to come in. That was a smart decision on his part. Nevertheless, I know Mats: he always wants to win, he will always open his mouth, always do the dirty work, and he doesn’t need the armband or an appointment to the team council to give his all for Borussia Dortmund.”

…possible transfers:
“We are still mulling things over and keeping an eye on the market. We are relatively relaxed and prepared for different possibilities. It could also happen that one or the other player leaves us, but that is not planned at the moment. But if that happens, we might respond again. When we look at the squad, we are certainly not too small. It gives us a lot of options in certain areas of our game. I think the coach has several options tactically.”
Transcribed by Christina Reinke