Kehl: 'We're not going to raise the white flag'
Dortmund - It was hardly the start to the second half of the season that Borussia Dortmund were hoping for - twice letting the lead slip in a 2-2 draw with FC Augsburg.
No surprise, then, that few were keen to elaborate on a fourth consecutive home game in which BVB have dropped points. However, captain Sebastian Kehl did show his face, reflecting on the mood within the Dortmund camp for the assembled press...
Question: Sebastian Kehl, once again you've failed to win at home. What was the reason for it?
Sebastian Kehl: To be honest, I don't really have an explanation. We had such high expectations and we did some things really well. On the other hand, we were up against a team who always had a solution at hand and who played relaxed, composed football. Ultimately, we didn't do what we'd set out to, particularly in terms of aggression and keeping it tight in defence. We wasted a few of our chances and it certainly wasn't the ideal performance.
Question: Augsburg didn't create that many good chances either...
Kehl: We didn't give too much away, but the few chances Augsburg did have resulted in goals. Like in our last home game of the first half of the season against Hertha, I can't really remember that many chances, but we're just conceding stupid goals and we're not being clinical enough at the other end. That's something we wanted to address in the second half of the season, but we've not got off to the best of starts.
Question: Is the team lacking that cutting edge, some bite perhaps?
Kehl: I don't think we can criticise the team for not showing enough passion in the game. We covered an awful lot of ground and everybody did their best. It didn't work out well for us this time, but you certainly can't say it was due to a lack of passion, bite or attitude. I as captain would refuse to accept that.
Question: How is the atmosphere in the dressing room?
Kehl: Of course we're very disappointed and you could see that on the players' faces - and feel it from the stands. But life goes on. We're not going to tear ourselves apart and start pointing fingers. We're certainly not going to raise the white flag and give up either. We're going to analyse it and find a few strong words for what happened, then we'll try to prepare well for our next game against Braunschweig on Friday, where we've got to do far better and get the three points.
Question:Jakub Blaszczykowski may have torn his cruciate ligaments. Is that yet another blow to morale after all the injury worries BVB had in the first half of the season?
Kehl: I'm incredibly sorry for 'Kuba' if that diagnosis is confirmed. That would mean his season's over. That's a bitter blow for him and also for the team. He's incredibly important for us, but we've got to learn now to cope without him. Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game. It's not been easy for us this season, but we're not going to hide and we won't go looking for excuses either. We'll take the situation as it is.
Interview recorded by Dietmar Nolte
