Weigl: “Be on it from the first minute”

Vice-captain Julian Weigl speaks about pre-season, his role as a leader, the mood in the dressing room and the DFB-Pokal game at TuS Bersenbrück.

Julian, we’re now at the end of five weeks of pre-season. How happy are you that the new season gets underway on Friday?

Weigl: I’m definitely really happy. Pre-season was good, but also tiring. It’s good to get started so we can see where we’re at. We’ve worked hard and want to show what we’ve done in pre-season out on the pitch. We’re therefore extremely excited.

There has been a rebuild at Borussia over the summer. Several players have left the club and a number have joined too. How has the team dealt with that and where are you currently as a side?

Weigl: Everybody knew for a while that there would be a rebuild. We have lost quality, however the club have done some great work and brought in some really hungry, young players, but also some experienced ones too. We’ve got a good mix within the squad. Now we will see where we stand as a team. We’ve worked hard during pre-season, though there are still a few things that aren’t quite perfect. We’re on the right track and hope we can show that in our first few games.

Jonas Omlin was named as the new captain last week. You and Florian Neuhaus are his vice-captains – how do you plan to approach this task together?

Weigl: We’re following in the footsteps of Lars Stindl, who did such a great job in the role. We hope that we can replicate that as a group now. I’ve got full trust in Jonas and Flo. The three of us want to take on responsibility and be there for the team together with everyone else in the team council.

You said after the final friendly against Montpellier (2-2) that the team still had to work on a few things before the start of the season. How did you manage to use the training sessions since then to work on those things that didn’t go so well?

Weigl: We obviously analysed the Montpellier game – not just the bad things but also the good ones. We have prepared intensely for our upcoming opponents and want to cut out our mistakes.

The words ‘positivity’ and ‘energy’ have often been used when talking about the team right now. What is the mood in the dressing room like right now?

Weigl: It’s really positive. As I said before, we’ve got lots of young, hungry players now and they’re injecting new life into the team. Every single player put a lot of hard work in during pre-season, both on and off the pitch. We’re all working on the same team and are trying to do our own jobs as best we can. We’ve got a really strong mentality and a good mood around the team too.

Borussia go into Friday’s game against the fifth-division side TuS Bersenbrück as the clear favourites. What are the biggest challenges going into a supposedly uneven match-up?

Weigl: The first round of the Pokal is always interesting. It’s the highlight of the season for the smaller teams and they’re out to cause an upset. Anything is possible in a game like this and we have to be careful. We have to bring our quality to the pitch and avoid making mistakes. We’re well prepared and will not underestimate them. I’m confident we’ll make the next round if we play well.

More than 10,000 fans will support the Foals live in the stadium. What are your thoughts on that?

Weigl: It’s incredible. The support throughout the whole of pre-season was incredible, whether it was for friendlies or just training sessions. We’re happy and proud that we will have so many fans there on Friday – we can’t wait!

What kind of game are you expecting?

Weigl: I hope we start well and play our own game. We want to be on it from the first minute and not allow them to get into the game. We’re ready and excited.