Weigl: “Happy to be able to help the team again”

Julian Weigl made his comeback from injury away against Eintracht Frankfurt, after being sidelined for the last two months. In an interview, he spoke about being back on the pitch and the disappointment of conceding a late equaliser against the Eagles.

Julian, how good did it feel to be back on the pitch and be able to help the team out?

Weigl: It felt really good to be able to start a game again. I’m very happy to have made my comeback and to be able to help the team out again. I worked hard over the last weeks in order to get back to full fitness. It was important that I didn’t rush back for the game against Wolfsburg and instead had an extra week of training in order to prepare for my comeback.

We took an early lead in Frankfurt. How important was it to start the game like that, in order to give you confidence for the rest of the game?

Weigl: We started well and I think we deserved to take the lead when we did. We would have liked to have taken that confidence with us and built on it after the opening 25 minutes, but Frankfurt obviously wanted to take something from this game with them being at home and began to take more risks.

You said it: Frankfurt were the better side in the second half and you struggled to break free from their press. What do you think was the reason for that?

Weigl: Frankfurt needed to take more risks and upped the pressure as a result. They pressed us high and we weren’t able to break free anymore and keep possession. We were pretty much only able to defend, although we did a good job of that. With the exception of a few long-range shots and another shot that hit the post, we didn’t allow them many chances.

You mentioned Frankfurt’s chances. How important is to to know in moments like that, that you have a goalkeeper like Jonas Omlin behind you?

Weigl: It’s extremely important. Jonas is a fantastic signing. His personality, his mentality and his saves have all been great additions to our team. We have full confidence in Jonas and know that we have someone in goal that isn’t only capable of saving seemingly ‘unsaveable’ shots but who can also help us with his vision and insight.

Jonas did well to not concede for much of the game, before Frankfurt finally scored in the 83rd minute. What did you see of the goal?

Weigl: When Kolo Muani hit the post a few minutes prior and the rebound was saved, I thought that we wouldn’t concede any more chances. It was disappointing to then let in an equaliser. Looking back on it now, a draw is a fair result. Eintracht invested a lot into the game, just like we did. Based on the amount of possession they had, it was a deserved goal for them.

You also worked hard on the pitch. You featured for the full 90 minutes on your comeback and delivered a strong performance. What was it like to be on the pitch and did you ever start to tire?

Weigl: To be honest, I started to notice that I was getting a bit tired in the 80th minute. You just can’t replicate the demands of a Bundesliga game in rehab. I still started well into the game, which really helped me. I was alert, had a lot of touches and won my challenges. I was just happy to be back with the team and to be able to show what I can do. Today, I am feeling a little tired however (laughs).