Borussia Dortmund

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Christoph Metzelder: "Van Marwijk prepared the team perfectly"

[27.10.] Injured Borussia Dortmund skipper Christoph Metzelder was full of praise for Jan Koller, who operated against Hertha as a striker, a defensive midfielder and later also as a full back. "He fought like the entire team to the last drop of blood," said Metzelder and added: "But it was only a first step."

Back soon? Christoph Metzelder.

Herr Metzelder, there are important victories, and there are crucial ones. Just how important was Borussia Dortmund´s win over Hertha?
Christoph Metzelder: "At this moment and in this situation this was a very important win, but we also shouldn´t attach to much significance to it. Still, by taking a look at the table, the 1-0 win over Berlin was a first step."

Did you believe that the team, three days after the 2-0 defeat to Hamburg SV and the media bashing, would react in such a great way?
Metzelder: "Well, to be honest, after seeing the team struggling on Saturday, I wasn´t so sure. But before the match coach Bert van Marwijk delivered a really good speech in which he addressed many things and in which he prepared us perfectly for the game."

BVB fought, showed character, tried to find the net. To cut a long story short: They did all the things they didn´t do in the last couple of matches.
Metzelder: "I was kind of surprised to see us play so confidently. We always tried to create chances up front. Overall we gave a great performance."

Has every right to celebrate: Jan Koller.

Jan Koller was the game´s outstanding player. He was everywhere, wasn´t he?
Metzelder: "That´s right. Dino first played a central striking role, then in the defensive midfield and in the last 10 minutes as a full back. It was a sensational game from him. He represented the attitude of the entire team. In Berlin they all fought to the last drop of blood and, let´s not forget about that, they also played some decent football."

Let´s talk about yourself a bit. You´re making progress, judging from what can be seen on the training ground. When will you return to team training?
Metzelder: "On Monday I took part in the team´s warm-up training for the first time. Some might say it´s not such a big deal, but for me it was a giant leap forward. After this training session I felt a lot better. And the fact that I travelled along with the team to Berlin, stayed in the same hotel and picked up some of the team´s atmosphere, did me a lot of good."

But you can´t tell us exactly when you will return to the normal training routine, can you?
Metzelder: "If you take a closer look you can see that I´m already working with the ball again, at least once in a while. But it will still take a while before I fully return to the team again."