Borussia Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc spoke to 'die Welt' on Thursday. The former-BVB midfielder spoke of his annoyance at internationals, Shinji Kagawa's return and the business side of things in Westphalia.
Zorc on; the recent international injury crisis.
"The injury with Marco is bitter. Because he had only just returned after the injury that cost him the World Cup. Ciro is not seriously injured. It is a bruised hip. This is not as dramatic. However, Jakub Blaszczykowski has sustained a thigh muscle injury and will miss several more weeks."
Zorc on; the new international game format.
"It is important that the number of international matches has not changed much. Thank God, that the game in mid-August has been dropped. Just imagine, we could have had an international match in mid-August, as was the case in the past few years! However, I must say that we have a fundamental problem. There is a mismatch between what the clubs devote and what organizations devote, in terms of time and of the intensity of the players use. But I think that we will not change in this lifetime."
Is that because of conflicting interest?
"There are simply conflicts of interest between the official side and the club level. The clubs pay their national player through the twelve months. But look at times they get injured! Unfortunately, it is now not uncommon that a national player injured after an international match and comes back to you. And that's the problem. But as I said, I do not see any solution."
Zorc on; Shinji Kagawa's return.
"Shinji makes a good, fresh impression in training. What does he do, looks good. The fact that we have recently in the offensive area one or more injuries, we are of course very pleased that we have signed him. Marco Reus is injured again and now, as I said, "Kuba's" name is still on the injury list."
Zorc on; not officially presenting the player.
"We deliberately decided not to do so. The excitement was so big, it was big enough. As for the negotiations with the player, we did not swap out for no reason and go somewhere else. For the office and the hotel opposite were days completely besieged by journalists and fans. It was not possible to do anything unnoticed."
Where did the talks take place?
"(laughs) I keep that to myself. Otherwise we have for incoming calls looking for a new location. But the hype in itself did not surprise us. We have seen, the time in which Shinji was with us for the first time, how big is the media interest in him - especially in Asia."
Zorc on; whether the move played into BVB's new globalisation.
"The reason we have resigned Shinji was only down to sporting reasons. But the idea that it is possible that with this transfer some of the cost was refinanced well (shirt sales etc.), is not to be dismissed. This is a benefit that we like to take. But again: If we sign a player, it is for him to help us out in a sporting manner. Because otherwise we would already have three Chinese players under contract."
But Asia is an interesting market, no?
"Absolutely. We see great potential for growth there. However, we must not forget those markets that are located in the immediate vicinity. When Robert Lewandowski was still here, we were very active in Poland; along with Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski in the team. We still are now, although Robert plays in Munich. However, Asia is becoming increasingly interesting for German clubs. The Premier League and the big Spanish clubs are there already. But there are ways taking a piece of the pie. Although it is not easy."
Zorc on; Kagawa's effect on the team.
"It would be unfair to the other players, if we were to say, Shinji alone provides the title wins. He was part of the team that worked brilliantly. But there is no question he was an important component. He had come as a nobody from Japan to us and has quickly played in a central role. Shinji helped us a lot in big games. I think his last game at that time was his best, as we beat Bayern 5-2 in the final of the DFB-Pokal. We are very pleased that he is back now. Some players do not work in just any club and can not always achieve their top performance. That might have been the case in regard to Shinji and Manchester United. He is one of those players who need a particular environment in order to develop fully. We believe that we can offer him this environment in Dortmund."
Zorc on; Watzke's comments about not overloading Kagawa with pressure.
"Shinji will need time. We must give it to him. Of course the expectations are high in Dortmund. But the it's the same situation is everywhere. As for Shinji, I have a feeling that he can deal well with pressure. But it would be too much to require him alone to make our attacking game tick. We have plenty of other good players on the pitch."
Zorc on; squad depth.
"So for clubs that want to be successful in three competitions, it is indispensable, that their squad is much bigger than was necessary three or four years ago. But if we just look at our squad ahead of the games against Freiburg on Saturday and against Arsenal on Tuesday, it may be that one or two amateurs will show up, because at present are not enough players."