Herrmann: “We need to be a compact unit”

Borussia winger Patrick Hermmann discussed the 3-3 draw in Freiburg, assisting our last-minute equaliser, and our upcoming home match against RB Leipzig (Monday, 20:30 CEST).

Patrick, a last-minute goal rescued a point for us in Freiburg last weekend (3-3). What’s your evaluation of the draw looking back at it now?

Herrmann: When you look at how the game went, the draw is on the one hand annoying, because you’d hope to come back home with the three points after going 2-0 up so early on in the game. On the other hand, you have to say that considering what happened in the second half, we were fortunate to come away with a point. It’s often been the case this season that our games have started off well and then we’ve let it slip in the second half and our opponent has efficiently punished us. For that reason, the game in Freiburg is basically an accurate representation of how our season’s gone so far.

Your cross set up Lars Stindl’s last-minute, equalising header. What are your thoughts on the goal?

Herrmann: To start with I was very pleased to have been subbed on in the first place, because I haven’t been playing so much recently. It was an even better feeling to have been able to make a direct contribution to us rescuing a point. I think that was the third time this season that I’ve crossed into Lars for him to head home – you have to admit that the cross was perfectly measured for him (laughs). But seriously – Lars took the header very well and I’m pleased to see him scoring again. It was an important goal for us.

The match in Freiburg was your 320th Bundesliga appearance for Borussia. One more and you’ll draw level with Wolfgang Kleff. How important is this number to you?

Herrmann: To be honest I don’t really keep track with stats like these. I sometimes read in FohlenEcho or other magazines that I’ve caught up to certain players. Wolfgang Kleff is an absolute legend, and of course I’m honoured to achieve this. But I’ve not set myself any specific appearance targets that I want to reach.

You face RB Leipzig at BORUSSIA-PARK on Monday (2nd May, 20:30 CEST). What are you expecting from the game?

Herrmann: It’s certainly unusual to be playing on a Monday evening- I don’t think we’ve ever played in the Bundesliga on a Monday. I think there are some different kick-off times which are a bit more considerate of the fans, but we’re taking each game as it comes. Leipzig have done really well this season and have a lot of individual quality in their squad, and we’ll have a lot to contest with on Monday. As a team, we need to be a compact unit and be on our game from the first minute.

Is there a big difference during the week when you know you’re playing on Monday in terms of preparations?

Herrmann: Yes, absolutely. It’s very different to a week in which we’re playing on Saturday or Sunday. Everything gets pushed back a couple of days, we’ve got double sessions scheduled for Friday and Saturday and we’ve got a further training session on Sunday. That’s something I’ve only ever experienced during pre-season, I’ve never done something like this during the regular season. It’s certainly unusual.

The Leipzig game is the first of your final three matches of the season. What are your goals for the run-in?

Herrmann: I’m a sportsman and would like to win every game, regardless of who the opposition is. That ought to be our approach for the upcoming games, even though we’re not really playing for a lot in the league anymore. We simply should give it our all and try to win the three games. We’ll see come the end of these three weeks what we can get out of it.