Bundesliga
Three-pack and bold tones: Füllkrug lets your muscles flex
Dortmund’s Niclas Füllkrug (l) is celebrated by the fans after his team’s victory. photo
© Bernd Thissen/dpa
No form crisis: BVB top scorer Niclas Füllkrug refuted his critics with three goals in the 3-1 win against Bochum. This increases self-confidence.
Seized the spotlight after his first hat-trick in the black and yellow jersey Niclas Füllkrug for advertising on his own behalf. During the interview marathon following BVB’s 3:1 (1:1) win over VfL Bochum, he appeared just as confident as before on the pitch.
When asked whether he had countered Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav’s three goals the day before against Leipzig and set an example in the duel for the starting place in the DFB team’s attack, he responded with a mischievous smile.
“Why?” replied the 30-year-old, referring to his ten goals and two assists in 13 appearances for the national team so far. “I don’t know what you’re looking for. Someone who scores 25 goals in 13 games? You can’t find him in Germany.”
Füllkrug obviously doesn’t lack self-confidence. The former Bremer player gave the answer to the latest headlines about his low form in Dortmund and the growing internal team competition from young professional Youssoufa Moukoko on the pitch. He held his nerve twice in the penalty duel (7th/90th+1) with VfL keeper Manuel Riemann, who is known as a penalty specialist, and also saved his team from a setback with the 2-1 lead (72nd).
He only has limited use for the game ball that he took into the dressing room as a souvenir. “It was handed to me. But I actually don’t have any space. I’ll unpack it again when I have a grandchild and tell them about it,” joked Füllkrug.
BVB is back in the Champions League for the first time since November
Thanks to his seven, eight and nine goals this season, Borussia won for the third time in a row and returned to a Champions League place in fourth place for the first time since the end of November. “Of course there is still room for improvement,” Füllkrug commented on his team’s long mixed performance against Bochum, but pointed to the recent positive trend. “You always have to see the process. I’m very happy with the fact that at the moment we are developing the self-image to achieve victories.”
Coach Edin Terzic saw it similarly: “We didn’t play an outstanding game, we didn’t play a perfect game. But we took another step forward.” With a win on the next matchday at 13th place in the table. from Heidenheim, against whom they only managed a 2-2 draw at home in the first half of the season, the trend should continue and the starting position in the fight for a Champions League place should be further improved. “We have to perform again on Friday,” demanded Nico Schlotterbeck, whose own goal in the 45th minute had caused Borussia to falter.