Reus thanks the fans, lauds his team-mates

"We gave it our all once again and used up every last ounce of energy," said Marco Reus after a 2-1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach that the team made look relatively straightforward by not deviating from their tactical plan until the last second and by covering every blade of grass to close down the smallest of gaps and ensure the opposition found no way through. "You could definitely notice that it was extremely difficult for us," said Reus of the final few minutes of yet another intense match. "The fans really gave us a huge push. Thanks very much!"

The result on Matchday 17 saw Borussia Dortmund pick up points 40, 41 and 42 of the season. Only once before – in 2010/11 – have they had more points at the halfway stage. "We've dropped a lot of points in November and December of the past two seasons. This time we've been solid," said Reus. "Congratulations to the team for an outstanding first half of the season." As for the personnel shortage at the back, he said: "Jule and Ömer were world-class at the back."

Up front "we got a lot of things right and used our opportunities to score at the crucial moments," commented Mario Götze, of whom kicker wrote on their website: "Götze shone in the top-of-the-table clash against Gladbach." The midfielder teed up Jadon Sancho and Marco Reus for the two goals. "Two assists from the bench – I think Paco's rubbing off on me," said a smiling Götze of Alcácer, who was forced off early with an injury to his posterior thigh muscle but has so often contributed from the bench this season. "I had a feeling Mario would be thinking exactly the same as me and that he'd play it in towards the back post. Super pass," said Reus of the winning goal.

In 2019, Götze is hoping "that we'll continue to work meticulously and pay attention to the little things. It's been difficult to get to the stage where we are now. And we know how difficult it is to stay at the top once you're there."
Boris Rupert