Herrmann: “We need to get back on track as quickly as possible”

Patrick Herrmann sits down to discuss the Foals’ current sporting situation, the team's desire to find their way back to winning ways, and the upcoming away fixture against FC Augsburg.

Patrick, you and the team are now without a win in six Bundesliga matches. What are your thoughts on this bad run of form?

Herrmann: We’re going through a difficult phase at the moment which is something we haven’t experienced in a long time. When you pick up few or no points in several consecutive games, it hurts a lot. You think about why things aren’t going to plan. What we need to do is not let ourselves think too negatively and focus instead on turning things around as quickly as possible.

The last few games have seen you narrowly defeated, with very few convincing losses. You and the team have lost by just one goal in almost all of the last few games…

Herrmann: That’s true. We seem to be lacking that little bit of luck at the moment. Things aren’t quite falling our way, but we’re also lacking the final bit of commitment when it comes to scoring or defending in our own box. Offensively, we’re not quite clicking in the way we always have previously. Alongside this is the fact that we often seem to be conceding unfortunate goals and when you’re chasing the game, it makes the already tough situation even more difficult.

How do you think that you can regain that final bit of commitment you mentioned?

Herrmann: We cannot stop believing in ourselves. We just have to keep going and working hard to improve. As a team, we have to be united in this difficult moment; that’s the only way out of this situation. What we’re missing is the self-belief that we can succeed. When we can get that back, things will start to go our way again.

Do you think that Marco Rose’s decision to leave the club in the summer has played a big role in the current bad run of form?

Herrmann: It would be easy to blame that decision, but it’s no longer an issue for us in the dressing room. As I said, we weren’t dominated in any of our last few games. It was the case that the games were on a knife edge and the opponent managed to score and tip it in their favour.

Borussia currently sit in tenth place in the Bundesliga. What are your remaining goals for the rest of the season?

Herrmann: Talking about our remaining goals now wouldn’t be helpful in our current situation. First and foremost, we have to win a game of football. There are still ten games left to go and so there’s lots of points up for grabs. At the moment we’re underachieving, as anyone who looks at the table can see. That makes it all the more important for us to get back on track as quickly as possible.

On Friday evening, you play FC Augsburg away from home (20:30 CET). What will be the deciding factors in that game?

Herrmann: Games are always very combative and hard-fought in Augsburg. As we know from past experiences there, we’ll need to be committed, do a lot of running, and be first to every loose ball. We have to be switched on right from the first second and rise to the fight so that we can hold our own. If we can do that, hopefully we’ll be able to take the three points back home with us.