Marco Reus is leaving behind the 5-1 defeat against Bayern at the weekend and moving on to the last two European Championship games against Ireland and Georgia. For the talented attacker, there is a lot of football to play, and Marco Reus wants to secure Germany’s place at the European Championships in France 2016. We caught up with Reus to talk about the defeat to Bayern, his success and mishaps of late and his experiences in Dublin.
DFB.de: Mr. Reus, on Thursday the national team come up against Ireland. Does anything come to mind? Three years ago you played a vital part in a game against Ireland at the Aviva stadium scoring two goals…
Marco Reus: We won 6-0 or 6-1 I think. It was not as easy a game as the result made it out to be. It was difficult at the beginning, but got easier as the first couple of goals went in. We worked well as a team, and of course it was great to get the goals. If I’m not wrong, I think that was my first international brace!
DFB.de: Do you think that was your best international performance?
Marco Reus: No, I wouldn’t say that. It’s easy to think that just because of the goals. It was a tidy performance and a good game, but not my best.
DFB.de: The game was especially strange for you, because you were booed for 60 minutes.
Marco Reus: Yes, that was uncalled for.
DFB.de: You were booked for a dive and then scored two minutes later. Did that feel good?
Marco Reus is leaving behind the 5-1 defeat against Bayern at the weekend and moving on to the last two European Championship games against Ireland and Georgia. For the talented attacker, there is a lot of football to play, and Marco Reus wants to secure Germany’s place at the European Championships in France 2016. We caught up with Reus to talk about the defeat to Bayern, his success and mishaps of late and his experiences in Dublin.
DFB.de: Mr. Reus, on Thursday the national team come up against Ireland. Does anything come to mind? Three years ago you played a vital part in a game against Ireland at the Aviva stadium scoring two goals…
Marco Reus: We won 6-0 or 6-1 I think. It was not as easy a game as the result made it out to be. It was difficult at the beginning, but got easier as the first couple of goals went in. We worked well as a team, and of course it was great to get the goals. If I’m not wrong, I think that was my first international brace!
DFB.de: Do you think that was your best international performance?
Marco Reus: No, I wouldn’t say that. It’s easy to think that just because of the goals. It was a tidy performance and a good game, but not my best.
DFB.de: The game was especially strange for you, because you were booed for 60 minutes.
Marco Reus: Yes, that was uncalled for.
DFB.de: You were booked for a dive and then scored two minutes later. Did that feel good?
Marco Reus: It was a great feeling, but no different to scoring any other goal. After the penalty incident where I got booked, I knew the next chance would come. Schmelzer set me up. He rifled the ball into the box and it came to me and I scored, but it didn’t have anything to do with the boos.
DFB.de: When you were a street footballer, you didn’t need good facilities to have fun.
Marco Reus: No, you didn’t. I have fun in training even when there isn’t anyone watching. I have to be honest, our games at the Signal-Iduna-Park are special, but the enjoyment of playing football does not increase with higher audiences.
DFB.de: When you play and win in front of 80,000 people, how long does the feeling last? How much of your success do you feel in your private life?
Marco Reus: It does provide happiness when you are doing well and having success in your job. That experience is probably no different for a footballer from anybody else. But I can definitely separate what goes on in my private life from what happens on the football pitch.
DFB.de: You lost 5-1 to Bayern at the weekend. Is that wound still fresh?
Marco Reus: Sunday was not a good day. There’s not much more that can be said. I have had better days than Sunday and Monday. Losing in a game of that importance and the way we did is not easy to forget.
DFB.de: Apart from the last few games, BVB have had a good start to the season. You have also got off to a good start, with two goals and an assist in six games and also four goals in the Europa League. It’s going well for you…
Marco Reus: No, it’s not.
DFB.de: No?
Reus: No. The fact that I was able to complete preseason without injuring myself is a good thing. Up until I broke my toe in the game against Hertha I had been pleased with my performances. Then I was out for three weeks, wasn’t allowed to put any sort of strain on my foot, and could only do a bit of upper-body work. It just takes time to find your rhythm again after that. And I’ll be honest: In the games I’ve played since then, I’ve not played to the standard that I expect from myself.
DFB.de: So how far from 100 percent are you?
Reus: It can change so quickly in football. One goal, one successful bit of play and you can e straight back to playing at your full potential. Personally, I know I’m not where I want to be yet. But I also know that this will change quickly.
DFB.de: Where do you get your confidence from?
Reus: I know how it works. If you work hard everything will fall into place for you – and I am a hard worker.
DFB.de: In general, you’re not really a very injury prone player. In the last season however it’s been different. Are you also currently focused on staying injury-free?
Reus: No. That would mean I have that at the back of my mind constantly when going in for fifty-fifty challenges. And that’s not the case. I have 100 percent trust in my body. I never doubt myself out on the pitch.
DFB.de: On Thursday, the DFB-Team will play in their penultimate European Championship Qualifier. What do you make of the Republic of Ireland team? How strong are they?
Reus: Ireland are under pressure. They’re third in the table. They have to beat us if they want any chance of still qualifying for the Euros. We are likely to feel the effects of this, as it will open up more spaces. We might however find that they set up defensively despite their situation, and that we’ll then have to find the right link-up play to break them down and score.
DFB.de: The Germany national side is just one solitary point from qualifying for France 2016. Is there any doubt at all in your mind about whether you will qualify.
Reus: No, absolutely no doubt at all.
DFB.de: Were you always sure? Or was there ever a time when you were worried? After losing to Poland then drawing to Ireland, Germany were in fourth place for a time…
Reus: In all honesty, I never considered it a possibility not to qualify. I was always aware of the quality in the team. So I always knew that we – especially after winning the World Cup – would encounter some problems in individual games. But I was just as sure that our team would always pull through at the end of a long campaign. We’re just too good for anything less.
