Elvedi: “We go again”

In an interview, Nico Elvedi talks about being voted Borussia’s Player of the Month, frustrations following the derby defeat and looks ahead to the upcoming game away at VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday (18:00 CET).

Nico, Borussia fans voted for you as their Player of the Month for January. What was your reaction to the award? 

Nico Elvedi: I was very happy about the award. It’s definitely an honour to win an award like that. I want to thank all the fans who voted for me. Of course I’m hoping to be just as successful over the upcoming months. 

One reason behind you taking home the award were the goals you’ve scored of late. Is there a secret behind why you managed to find the back of the net three times in January? 

Elvedi: It’s difficult to say. I always go up front on set pieces and try to get to the ball. This time, I was lucky enough to be in the right place to score. I’m happy that I was able to help the team out like that. Obviously, I’m hoping that I’ll score some more goals over the course of the season. 

You guys got off to a strong start in 2021 before suffering your first defeat of the year in the derby last time out. What went wrong in that game? 

Elvedi: It was frustrating that we conceded early on once yet again and that we had to come back from that. We were able to score the equaliser relatively quickly, but we then failed to break through Köln, who were playing extremely compact. It was a tough loss for us and the fans. But, we’ve had enough time to process it and now we go again. 

On Sunday, you’re up against Wolfsburg. What are you expecting from this game? 

Elvedi: I’m expecting an extremely tough game. Wolfsburg have been strong all season and have kept a clean sheet in each of their last five games. We definitely will be looking to change that. However, it will be a tough challenge for us. I think that it will be a very intense game. Wolfsburg have a similar style of play to us. They press hard both in and out of possession. For us, it will be about being ready to enter into duels. We will give it our all on Sunday and try to turn the game in our favour. 

It’s been a while since our last win in Wolfsburg (Ed. note: 3-1 in 2003/04). Why is it so difficult to get a result in Wolfsburg? 

Elvedi: It really has been a while since we’ve last won in Wolfsburg. But, we will try to end this winless run. Our team has the quality needed to win, there’s no question about it. We’re in good form and I’m convinced that we will be able to take something from Sunday’s game. 

The fight for European places remains extremely competitive. What do you think of the team’s current situation? 

Elvedi: Of course we’re trying to keep pace with everyone else. This game against Wolfsburg will therefore be extremely important for us. I think that the race for the European spots is still wide open.