Ullrich: “The hard work is just beginning for me”

Lukas Ullrich answers our questions about his Bundesliga debut, his time at Borussia Mönchengladbach and the upcoming home match against FC Bayern.

Lukas, you made your first Bundesliga appearance on Saturday in the home game against Bayer Leverkusen. Despite the loss, how did it feel?

Ullrich: I felt emotions that I’ve never felt before in my whole life. I did not think that I would be making my Bundesliga debut so quickly. Obviously, I would rather have had got the win and not come on than played and lost. That being said, making my Bundesliga debut at a sold-out BORUSSIA-PARK as early as matchday two was really great. You work towards this first target for such a long time. But I can’t rest now that I’ve achieved this first step. The hard work is just beginning for me. I’ve got to push on now to get more games under my belt.

Despite the looming defeat, the fans gave you excellent support throughout the whole game. What was your impression of that?

Ullrich: Our fans are simply fantastic. It was extraordinary to see the way that they cheered us on despite being 3-0 down. I’ve never experienced anything of the sort – I had goosebumps.

You’ve been here at Borussia for a good two months now, how have you settled in on a personal level?

Ullrich: I really like it at Borussia. Everyone is very friendly and kind. I have a lot of fun in training every day and get along great with my teammates. I'm just happy to have made this move and to be here now.

We see you a lot with assistant coach, Guido Streichsbier, on the training pitch. How important is it, as a young player, to work closely with him?

Ullrich: I’m really pleased that he’s here because he always gives me good advice and tips. We already know each other from the German youth setup, so there was a great sense of trust between us right from the beginning. Guido Streichsbier is a great coach, who can pass on lots of knowledge to young players especially, thanks to his wealth of experience. 

You’ve appeared twice for the U23s so far. To what extent do these games help you develop further?

Ullrich: Nothing is more important than game time. If you play 90 minutes for the U23s every weekend and therefore stay in the rhythm, you can learn a lot. A whole year just of training would not be good for my development, especially as a young player. Therefore I don’t see it as a demotion to play for the U23s, but take it as a chance to gain match practice and improve myself.

What personal aims have you set for the season?

Ullrich: I want to learn as much as possible from the older players, in order to develop myself as much as possible. If I do that well, everything will happen automatically. I want to roll up my sleeves and give everything in training, in order to be 100 percent ready if the chance comes.

Your most notable colleague on the left side of defence is Luca Netz, who also moved from Hertha BSC to Mönchengladbach. How is your relationship with him?

Ullrich: We are both Berlin boys and get on very well. Luca has already played quite a few Bundesliga games and is currently an U21 international. I can also still learn something from him. I like to take on board his advice and listen when he tells me something.

On Saturday evening you face FC Bayern München at BORUSSIA-PARK. How excited are you for this match?

Ullrich: It’s the biggest game of the third matchday. Everyone will be watching on Saturday evening. BORUSSIA-PARK will be sold out again. It doesn’t get any better. I’m really excited.

How will you have to perform to get a result against them?

Ullrich: FC Bayern are among the best clubs in Europe, but Gladbach have done well against them in the past. We of course hope that that’ll happen again on Saturday. If we all give 100 percent and are there for each other, we’ll have a chance to get something.