New signing Hannes Wolf discusses his time with the Foals, Borussia as a club and starting the season in Dortmund in an interview.
Hannes, you’ve been at Borussia for a few weeks now. How have you settled in?
Wolf: Yeah, I’ve settled in well. The boys are all really welcoming. Borussia has a top squad with a great team spirit. I’ve got to grips with everything really quickly and I’m happy to be here.
You said at the start that you’re happy to be playing for a side that really values tradition. How have you found that in the first few weeks?
Wolf: Contact with the fans is unfortunately restricted due to Coronavirus, but I can’t wait for the stadium to be full again. As I said, I feel really at home here with the boys, the coaches and the staff. You realise how big Borussia is as a club, but it’s really like one big family. I think that helps every player.
Despite the current situation with the Coronavirus pandemic, lots of sponsors have said that they’re standing by Borussia. What do you make of that?
Wolf: I think it’s great. It shows how many people support the club and also how many people have their heart in the right place. Things are difficult at the moment – we want to give something back to these people by putting in good performances and winning games. Then we’ll achieve great things together.
The 8-0 victory against Oberneuland in the DFB-Pokal was your first competitive game for the Foals. How was it for you?
Wolf: It was great. There were 300 people in the stadium which was a bit different, but it was just great to make my first competitive appearance for my new club and then to get such a result straight away too. Obviously as an attacking player I would’ve liked to have chipped in with a goal. I think I might have been trying too hard to get on the scoresheet in the end and it made me a little tense. But I think I’ll get my goals this season. Ultimately, I’m just really pleased that we’ve made such a good start. That gives us confidence for the next few weeks.
You’ll come up against Borussia Dortmund at the weekend when the season gets underway. It’s a big match – what are you hoping for?
Wolf: We want to perform well against Dortmund too. The cup game has given us confidence, and that’s really important when you’re starting a new season. We’ve got a massive game waiting for us in Dortmund; we want to do well and come away with a positive result. We’re ambitious and know that we have a good side.
Two attacking players are returning from injury in Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea. What’s the competition for places like?
Wolf: We have lots of matches ahead of us and almost no winter break. That means that you need a big squad. Competition for places can only make you a better player. It’s also expected that there’s a lot of competition for places at such a big club. I think that everyone will get an opportunity and we’ll all have a successful season together.
