Clarifying conversation with Hecking
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Myron Boadu celebrated his very special day with an exuberant dance in front of the fan curve. The Bochum hat-trick hero’s smile radiated deep satisfaction. “It was like a dream come true,” said the striker. With his three goals, he almost single-handedly ensured that VfL turned a 0:3 into a 3:3 against the favorites RB Leipzig. “It’s like a victory,” said full-back Bernardo (29).
Bochum is still bottom of the table, but there is still a feeling of optimism. VfL had already been written off, but now it has a realistic chance of staying in the league again. Heidenheim is only two points away from the relegation zone. VfL will even be past Holstein Kiel if the DFB sports court’s ruling on the lighter throw at Union Berlin stands and the game is counted for the Revierklub.
Boadu represents the change in mood. The 24-year-old shows how fast things can happen in football. Boadu had recently been harshly criticized by coach Dieter Hecking for his training performance. Now he is praised by his teammates and celebrated with chants by the fans.
“It’s been a long time since the fans sang for me,” said Boadu, highlighting the fans’ contribution to the mega comeback against Champions League participants Leipzig. “The fans gave us energy,” he added about the atmosphere in the Ruhrstadion. “There are 26,000 here, but it feels like 70,000 or 80,000.”
Discussion between Hecking and Boadu at VfL Bochum
With his magnificent performance and Bochum’s second hat-trick in the Bundesliga, Boadu also made himself the “hero” of the day from Hecking’s point of view. About a week ago it sounded different. Hecking said before the first game of the year that he “can’t always turn a blind eye” to Boadu. “That’s not enough.” Boadu was “physically not at Bundesliga level” for a long time. The experienced coach stood by his words after the Dutchman’s three-goal show and explained: “If a player annoys me, then he annoys me. Today I praise him.”
Boadu was only in VfL’s Bundesliga starting eleven five times – also due to a long injury. The attacker himself admitted that he had been frustrated recently. “The last few weeks haven’t been that easy for me,” he said and explained with regard to Hecking: “He was a little angry, I was a little angry.” A clarifying conversation between him and the coach helped to resolve problems. “The conversation helped him and helped me understand him,” explained Hecking.
The coach hopes that the AS Monaco loanee will now get off to a good start. With five goals in eight Bundesliga appearances, Boadu is already Bochum’s top scorer. “He showed us all that we have a weapon up front that has been a bit lost so far,” said Hecking. Boadu has a finishing quality “that we don’t have.” VfL can really use this quality in the relegation battle.