Bundesliga
"It is not our job to combat terrorism"
The recent events in Paris and Hanover are naturally a major talking point in the Borussia Dortmund changing room, especially as BVB are set to kick-off Matchday 13 of the Bundesliga with an away match in Hamburg on Friday night.
"It does feel different to normal, especially as it's the only fixture, the Friday evening fixture," said Thomas Tuchel prior to the trip to HSV. He spoke of a "new situation, because we're directly affected due to our geographical proximity and because a major event was cancelled due to a terrorist threat for the first time." However, he is convinced it is the right decision to get the ball rolling in the Bundesliga. "I do not feel uneasy," assured the coach, who added: "Only by repeatedly conducting safe matches will people be able to put such events behind them more quickly."
Tuchel will approach his team and, in particular, the directly affected players (Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gündogan and Matthias Ginter) openly while also keeping the necessary distance: "I have a lot more questions than answers on this topic and I prefer to listen rather than give advice. Everyone has the right to come to terms with it in his own way."
"Only by repeatedly conducting safe matches will people be able to put such events behind them more quickly"
Focusing on daily life ("There are always 1,000 topics in the world that are more important than football") is not easy for the coach: "You have to have the courage to do a video analysis and speak about it, even if it seems insignificant. The art of distraction lies in taking our hobby and our job seriously and to make the next match the focal point of our attention."
As for the players, Henrikh Mkhitaryan said: "I'm extremely saddened by what happened in Paris. But we need to focus on football. The mood within the squad is still good despite the last few days. It is not our job to combat terrorism."
Boris Rupert