Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy: 'We're in great form'
Serhou Guirassy made his 100th Borussia Dortmund appearance in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League victory over Villarreal, but the Guinean striker had far more important matters on his mind.
The Guinean marksman scored his third and fourth goals of the season in the 3-2 victory at Signal Iduna Park, which extended Die Schwarz-Gelben’s winning start to the campaign to four matches in all competitions before that became five with a 3-0 win over Paderborn on Matchday 4.
Maintaining that early-season form is much more important to Guirassy than personal milestones, as he told the Bundesliga in a wide-ranging interview…
Bundesliga: Serhou, is it fair to say you’re in very good form personally at the moment?
Serhou Guirassy: "Yes, that's true. The team are also in great form. We're winning games, so it's fair to say that's the case."
Watch: Dortmund 3-0 Paderborn - highlights
Bundesliga: How important has this strong start been for you and the team?
Guirassy: "It's very important to start another season like this. On Tuesday, I played my 100th match [for Dortmund] and I didn't even know about it. We have to keep going like this."
Bundesliga: Do you get on well with Fabio Silva, despite the competition for places in attack?
Guirassy: "We have a very good relationship. Sometimes when I haven't been playing, I've given him advice, and when he isn't playing, he gives me advice. I understand that football's like this. One day I'm going to score, another day someone else is going to score. We might as well push each other to improve and let the team reap the rewards."
Bundesliga: Does your friendship make it easier to cope with the competition?
Guirassy: "Of course. If you feel more comfortable with that person, it's even easier. Fabio and I have a very good relationship, so it's good."
Bundesliga: How would you describe Fabio's style of play?
Guirassy: "He's a young player with a lot of energy and determination, and that's good for us. When you look at the players we have, he's different from Kosta [Karetsas], different from me, Samuele [Inácio] or Carney [Chukwuemeka]. It's good to have another style of player - it helps the team."
Bundesliga: What impact have the new arrivals and their different qualities had on the team?
Guirassy: "It has changed things a little. If you compare them with Karim [Adeyemi], for example, he's more of a player who makes runs in behind. Then you switch to Kosta, who is more of a player who wants to link up. I like that, so it suits me more. But they're both very good players with different styles, and sometimes certain styles work better with certain players."
Bundesliga: What do you make of Niko Kovač's record in his first 51 Bundesliga games in charge?
Guirassy: "I saw that he's the coach with the most points per game over his first 50 matches. That obviously shows his quality. My relationship with him is very good. I respect him, and he respects me. When there are things that need to be said, we say them to each other like professionals."
Bundesliga: What sets Guinean culture and the mentality of Guinean people apart, in your opinion?
Guirassy: "It's difficult to answer, but I would say pride. Pride."
Bundesliga: Does that mentality come to the fore in football?
Guirassy: "Yes, I would say it does. It's the pride."
Bundesliga: When you score important goals, do you also think about what they mean to the people in Guinea?
Guirassy: "Yes, of course. First of all, I’m happy to represent Guinea, and it makes me happy because I make them happy. It's a good feeling. They follow me a lot and encourage me a lot. It's important and it's good for everyone."
Bundesliga: What does it mean for the team to be above Bayern Munich after such a strong start to the season?
Guirassy: "Of course, it's very rare. If you look at last year, I don't think we were ahead of Bayern even once, so it's something we have to take advantage of. They're a very big team, but they can drop points like they did against Schalke. So it’s up to us to take advantage of that."
