Julian Brandt: "Borussia Dortmund don't have to hide from any team"
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt says his side played "disgustingly" in the second half of their Champions League Group F game against Inter Milan on Tuesday. Something he wants to see against Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Dortmund produced one of their special European nights at the Signal Iduna Park, coming from 0-2 down to beat their Italian opposition 3-2 – inspired by two goals from Achraf Hakimi, and one from Brandt.
The German international has now scored three goals in as many games for BVB ahead of Dortmund's trip to Munich for the first Klassiker of the 2019/20 season, and tells bundesliga.com that Dortmund should play their own way against every team…
bundesliga.com: Julian Brandt, two very different halves ending with a spectacular victory for BVB. What worked better in the second half and made the comeback possible?
Julian Brandt: "We tried to put pressure on Inter's defenders in the first half. But we weren't really able to do it collectively. We left too many big spaces which Inter exploited very well. They countered very well when we lost the ball. But we did a lot better in the second half."
bundesliga.com: What exactly did BVB do differently after the break?
Brandt: "We pressed together as a collective. We were really disgusting, we were always on it. Every Inter player felt someone was behind them. We won the ball back accordingly, high in their own half. That made them respect us."
bundesliga.com: How did the team manage not to lose faith in themselves at the break after going 0-2 behind?
Brandt: "You should never lose faith, especially not at home. We've already seen that against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the DFB Cup and now again. Everything is possible at home. We knew how difficult it would be at half-time. That was a big ask, but you just have to believe in yourselves. We don't have to hide from any team, we have to do our thing. If we do that, we can score against a defensively strong side like Inter as well. That's what the second half showed."
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bundesliga.com: You experienced one of the magical European nights in Dortmund in front of the South Stand for the first time. How did it feel?
Brandt: "It was very, very nice! Honestly: I would've obviously wished that we didn't have to come back from 0-2 behind. But then you can enjoy some very special wins afterwards. The fans had a lot of fun, especially in the second half. They were full of enthusiasm. I hope that'll continue in the future. But it'll be a tough game in Munich on Saturday. I hope we don't see a repeat of the first half that we played against Inter."
bundesliga.com: What do BVB need to do to play a better game in Munich?
Brandt: "We can take a lot of good things from the game against Inter, especially from the second half. We don't have to sit back defensively, we can also play courageously in Munich - even in an away game. But we have to defend better as a unit. Counter-attacks like the ones Inter had against us shouldn't be happening. Bayern will also analyse our game, so we have to eradicate the mistakes we made now. And otherwise, we should take a lot of positive things and just do our own thing in Munich."
bundesliga.com: Does the change of coach at Bayern Munich change anything your preparation for the game?
Brandt: "Some say Bayern are now the most vulnerable because the team is wounded. Others say the team is the most dangerous now because their players want to show a big reaction. Every player wants to raise their game after a change of coach because the competition for places is re-opened. We'll see how it'll be on Saturday. We shouldn't concentrate too much on Bayern, though, just look at ourselves. That's the best way to travel away."
Dietmar Nolte reporting from Dortmund
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