Captain in no uncertain terms – “That is not our claim!”

Borussia Dortmund drew 1-1 at VfL Bochum after the 1:0 against 1. FC Köln. Captain Emre Can spoke plainly after the game.

In the season opener against 1. FC Köln, Borussia Dortmund’s satisfactory performance was enough to secure a narrow 1-0 victory. In the small Revier derby at VfL Bochum, BVB did not show any improvement in performance compared to the Cologne game and accordingly only had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

The players had clear words to say after the disappointing performance in Bochum. Captain Emre Can told Sky: “We didn’t play a good game at all. That is not our ambition! We want to dominate and win,” Can stressed.

The German international went on to say: “We had few solutions. We lost the first and also the second ball in the first half. When it goes like that, it can’t be a good Bundesliga game. Bochum were greedier and more aggressive. I can’t explain why we didn’t play our game. We played Bochum’s game. The second half was better, but also not the way we want to play. We’ll take the four points now and try to win again against Heidenheim next week. But there is a lot missing with us at the moment.”

Gregor Kobel had similarly clear words. The Borussia goalkeeper saw much more venomous Bochum in half-time one than his Borussia teammates.

VfL Bochum - Borussia Dortmund 26 August 2023
VfL Bochum – Borussia Dortmund 26 August 2023

Kobel on “Sky”: “In the first half there was a lack of resistance, that’s for sure. We were completely overrun by the intensity of Bochum in the first half. They were cheeky, aggressive, courageous and played well. We had problems there. In the second half, we played better. There will always be opponents like that coming at us and we have to be disgusting and mentally strong there. We can never live with a draw. We always want to win. “

When Bochum scored 1:0 through Kevin Stöger, Kobel did not look so good. But much more than finding fault with himself, the Dortmund keeper wanted to praise the VfL goalscorer. Kobel: “I think you can keep the ball. But Stöger did that strongly, he looked in the middle and made no signs of a shot. I rather expected a pass into the middle to Hofmann. He then hit the ball superbly, a fluttering ball like that, and then the thing was in the net. “