Stindl: "We know what is at stake in the last 14 games"

Lars Stindl is out of action injured at the moment. Borussia’s captain talks to us here about his recovery, the club’s current situation and the tasks that awaits the team over the next few weeks.

Lars, you injured yourself just before the home fixture against Union Berlin and have been working individually since then. How are you doing at the moment?

Lars Stindl: I’m doing pretty well and recovery is coming along nicely as well. I was obviously a bit shocked the week before last when it happened, but thankfully it wasn’t too serious in the end. I will miss a few games though, which is really frustrating especially in our current situation. I’ll be back on the pitch in a few weeks, however, and hopefully I’ll be able to help the team again then.

After winning in Munich, losses were then suffered against Bayer Leverkusen, Union Berlin and Hannover 96. How would you rate Borussia’s current situation?

Stindl: We are going through a difficult period, and we’re all aware of that. A lot went on in the international break but we still had the chance to deal with the situation. We have worked through and discussed a lot of things. We know what is at stake in the last 14 games and will try to get things going in Bielefeld.

When you say that a lot went on, I assume you mean Max Eberl stepping down. What happened on the day?

Stindl: The news came as a surprise to us. Friday was an emotional day, not just for the team but also the staff and the whole club. It wasn’t an easy day for anyone involved with Borussia.

How did you get through it as a team?

Stindl: We discussed it, and then it was good that we had a couple of days off to do other things and let it sink in. At the start of the week we worked through it with the coach and the club again. Now we have to give everything to on-field matters. That is what we can affect and that is our job. We have discussed what we needed to do and the next thing is to implement those things.

In your time at the club so far, Borussia has been successful on the whole. How difficult is it to deal with the current situation?

Stindl: Of course it is something we are not used to because we have been very successful over the last few years. What is going on around us is also a bit turbulent, but we can’t worry about that and just have to focus on the football. It is on the pitch that we can improve our situation. We have shown that once again. We can only affect our performances in training and in matches, we have to rediscover our qualities.

Arminia Bielefeld and FC Augsburg are the next opponents in the Bundesliga. What are your thoughts on those games?

Stindl: Our main focus is now on Bielefeld. They are in good shape and we have to consider that. They played very well in Frankfurt two weeks ago, but we will do everything to win the game. That won’t be easy considering our current form, but we accept that and still want to show what we know we can do on the pitch. It’s also important to show one or two other characteristics and that is a combination that can win us a lot of games as we are a really good team.