“There’s a force coming for us” | Kevin Kampl Interview

Time for Bochum!

On Tuesday morning our boys started the training week before the away game at VfL Bochum on Saturday (kick-off: 3:30 p.m.). After an intense public training session, our players handed out autographs and were available for photos.

As part of the media round, Kevin Kampl spoke about the defeat against Bayern, missed opportunities, and the upcoming opponent.

KEVIN KAMPL ABOUT…

… THE PAINFUL DEFEAT AGAINST FC BAYERN MUNICH

“`We should have come away with more. It’s obviously tough to take when you concede the decisive goal in stoppage time. This defeat took two or three days to digest. We had a lot planned for the game in Munich and we definitely didn’t deserve to lose.` Our performance warranted at least one point, which would have been enough to move past Dortmund and jump to fourth place in the table.”

… CARELESSNESS IN ADDED TIME

“Unfortunately, we often throw points away. If you look at the individual games, whether away in Augsburg, at home against Bochum or Frankfurt, where we showed a good performance with 31 shots to 5 on goal, but then lose it.
In the end, our games are always decided in the small details. We also had enough opportunities in Munich, where we played well going forward, but then the last pass wasn’t accurate enough or the last man wasn’t found precisely enough, who can then finish freely. We then lose the ball too often, which means we have to use up a lot of energy to fight for it back.”

… THE DIFFICULT MATCH IN BOCHUM

“Saturday’s game in Bochum won’t be easy. It is never easy against VfL anyway. Their defence made it very difficult for us in the first half of the season. They stood compactly and deep. This time they will probably press even more and play man-to-man.
We have to do our thing and not get sucked in to Bochum’s game. There will be a lot of force coming our way on Saturday. With this counter-pressing, we have to make good decisions. We have to be ready to accept the fight that they will give us.”

KEVIN KAMPL ABOUT…

… THE SEASON GOAL: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

“We won’t rely on a possible fifth place that entitles us to take part in the Champions League. We’re currently hunting from the outside. But that’s not what we want. We want to be in the top four, certainly for the UCL and don’t want to rely on fifth place being enough. We’re not talking about that either, because our goals are more ambitious than fifth place in the table.”

… TOUGH GAMES

“We look at it from game to game. Bernabeu, for example, is not on our radar yet. That would also be the wrong approach. We all know how important it is to score points in the Bundesliga. Sure, the game in Madrid is very special and something to look forward to. It’s an absolute highlight to play there, we were able to experience that last season.
But it’s exactly this match that shows us: We want to play in stadiums like this again next season and ourselves compete with the best on an international stage. That’s only possible through the Bundesliga. And so the Ruhrstadion in Bochum is a highlight for me: small, compact and with a great atmosphere that always gives Bochum an extra push.”

… THE COMPETITION IN THE SIX ROLE

“Every team needs competition. That’s a good thing. Because that’s the only way players get better. It forces them to push themselves to their limits. With Amadou Haidara , Xaver Schlager , Nici Seiwald and me, we’re super good in the six. Eljif Elmas and Benjamin Henrichs can also serve the position well. I’m happy about this competition.”