2024-08-29 01:45:29
The hero of the 20th round of the Bundesliga is Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan. In the away game against “Werder”, the Armenian legionnaire ended the scoring “silence”, which continued for 1066 minutes. Having scored twice for Werder, he contributed his money to the team’s victory.
The correspondent of “Sport Espress” in Germany talked to the journalist of “Bild” Heiko Niederer, who always writes about “Borussia”, about the attacking midfielder of the Armenian national team.
– Everyone knows that Mkhitaryan is a wonderful football player, – said Nederrer. – This football player played very well in the opening matches of the season, and everyone said that he would be an excellent replacement for Mario Gotze. But after some time things did not go so smoothly. lost a bit and wasn’t playing very confidently anymore.
– Before standing out in Bremen, Mkhitaryan had not scored a goal for 1066 minutes. Why?
– In general, “Borussia” was not in a big crisis in recent months. Due to the large number of players with injuries, the team did not perform as before. Therefore, he suffered several defeats. It was during that period that Mkhitaryan was not so good, as well as the whole team.
– In the article published in “Bild”, you quoted the words of Mkhitaryan, who admitted that he sometimes felt psychological pressure.
– Yes, after the Bremen game, he told me that he often “loaded” himself. Probably, it is related to the high transfer value. Dortmund paid 25 million euros to Shakhtar for his transfer. He should have shown more on the pitch… The two goals he scored against Werder made him very happy. Henrich hopes that now he can play more lightly and everything will be fine.
– According to you, what is not enough for him to fully open up now?
– First of all, stability. I already said that at the beginning of the season he had wonderful moments. Scored goals, made great passes. But then he played erratically for quite a long time, sometimes unimpressively. As a number 10, he needs to always drive the game and be noticeable on the pitch.
– Last season, Mkhitaryan scored 25 goals for Shakhtar in the Ukrainian championship.
– We hope that he will not score too few goals in Dortmund and, in general, will create many chances in the future.
– What does head coach Jürgen Klopp think about him?
– He always emphasizes that Henrich is a great football player, that his purchase for 25 million euros is justified, because he can do everything in football. The coach always praises him, but adjusts. it takes time to adapt to a new team and a new league.
– Does Mkhitaryan already know German?
– He does not give interviews in German yet. But he is learning. He already speaks a little, but so far he does not dare to communicate with journalists in German.
– During the winter transfer window, “Borussia” invited 21-year-old talented midfielder Milos Jojic from “Partizan” Belgrade. A new competitor for Mkhitaryan?
– Not directly. He is still very young who probably needs time to adjust. He is expected to make his team debut next week as a wild card. Of course, in time it can grow enough to compete with Mkhitaryan. But, according to me, it won’t happen all at once.
– Probably, Jojic will operate more often on the right side of the midfield, in the area of the injured Blaszczykowski.
– The representatives of “Borussia” emphasize that Joic was invited because he is a versatile football player. I think we will see him more often in Gundoghan’s position. In other words, there will be a defensive midfielder who, however, will be able to join the attacks.
– How do the fans treat Mkhitaryan?
– Good. He is not like Aubameyang, who draws attention to himself with his hair and car. Mkhitaryan is more reserved, modest. Fans respect him for often playing well. Of course, he has a tough legacy… Mario Gotze was one of the superstars at Dortmund, he was well liked until he moved to Bayern Munich.
– But Mkhitaryan’s playing style is slightly different…
– Yes. In my opinion, he is a classic number 10. Mkhitaryan is, in fact, a director in the center of the field, he often makes passes. And Gotze often found himself at the sharp end of the attack, including thanks to dribbling.