“Rarely so fit and trained”
©IMAGO
When it came to the topic of FC Bayern, Nico Schlotterbeck was taciturn. “I can’t really say anything about that,” replied the Borussia Dortmund defender when he was asked about the record champions and BVB rivals’ alleged interest in him in Belfast before the German national team’s World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland. The 25-year-old spoke in more detail about the interaction with Jonathan Tah, at whose side he will also defend at Windsor Park.
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“I’ve known Jona for a few years now and I’m always happy to play with him. We complement each other well,” said Schlotterbeck. Tah moved to Bayern from Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer in the summer, while his national team colleague is under contract in Dortmund until 2027.
“Jona is very communicative on the pitch and is simply important for me. Defensively, he has been a very strong defender for years now and has done extremely well,” said Schlotterbeck. The BVB professional described what complements her so well on the pitch: “For me the topic with the ball is perhaps a bit more interesting than for him. He is perhaps a better defender. That’s why it fits quite well.” Julian Nagelsmann also thinks so.
“I was super happy with Schlotti and also with Jona,” said the national coach after the Luxembourg game. Vice-captain Antonio Rüdiger is out injured, so the Schotterbeck/Tah duo is the first choice. “Schlotti knows how much I think of him,” Nagelsmann continued. “And Jona has stabilized really well in the last few games, including his whole demeanor.”
Schlotterbeck before Northern Ireland duel: “You wait for games like this”
Schlotterbeck is happy to be back in the national team immediately after his serious knee injury. He sees this as appreciation from the national coach. “I’m happy that he’s putting a lot of faith in me now.” Schlotterbeck feels prepared for any challenge: “I had five and a half months to prepare for the many games. I have rarely been so fit and so well trained. I can play 90 minutes again.” Especially in a stadium like Windsor Park.
“As a footballer, you wait for games like this,” said Schlotterbeck. He knows that from Dortmund. “There are 80,000 people in the stadium every two weeks. Here there are fewer, here it is a little smaller. But they are just as loud,” he added full of anticipation. “We’re up for it. We beat Luxembourg and want to do better to stay in first place.”
And what about FC Bayern? At the end of the press conference he was also asked that Nagelsmann had wanted to bring him to Munich when he was coach there. How tight was it back then? “Apparently not close enough,” said national coach Nagelsmann, who was sitting next to Schlotterbeck on the podium – and laughed.