The media approached two of Dortmund’s prodigies, Donyell Malen and Alexander Meyer, prior to BVB’s Southeast Asia tour.
Difficulties faced having the season stopped for two months due to the World Cup.
“Yes, the previous week was very high intensity. We had all three days of games, so we travelled a lot. It’s a new experience for us now to have the break in the Winter so it will be a new experience for us, but on the other side, we enjoy this because we now have time to see new places in Asia so we have time to learn the new culture. Normally when we travel to away games, we do not have all the time like now, so we enjoy this,” mentioned Alex.
Dony added, “yeah, I think it’s new because we have some extra weeks. We just have to train, of course. Normally we have a nice winter break, but here we get more and different opportunities to go and see the world, and I am very excited.”
Diverse Cuisines
Apart from football, Alex was enthusiastic about trying out the different cuisines in Vietnam and the other two countries. “Yes, I want to try all the food, not only in Vietnam. I told you that it is my first time in Asia. It is special, but we have a good team there, and I am looking forward to trying some new food”.
It was not the first time Dony being in Asia after his last visit to China. “Oh yes, I will try anything there to see the taste and the flavours, and hopefully, everything is nice.”
Head of communications for BVB, Daniel Stolpe, added: “I have seen in the agenda that we are going to have a food-making class so I am a big fan of Vietnamese soups and that is going to be one of the highlights for sure.”
Information about the performance of the Vietnamese National Team
When questioned on information about the Vietnamese National team players and if Dortmund knows what they are up against, Dony replied, “Not yet, I think we will always do a team meeting to see what the strengths and qualities are, and we know the players and will be ready.”
“We played the Vietnam All-Stars a couple of weeks ago with the legends of Borussia Dortmund, and that was the day after Vietnam played India, and 2 or 3 of their current players were on the squad who played against our legends. They were fast and skilled, yet our legends managed to win 4-1 so let’s see what the score will be this time. We hope we will have many fans in the stadium,” added Daniel.
Expectations playing against Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C.
Alex replied, “yeah, it will be a tough game; I think that they are also looking forward to the game playing against us; we know that BVB is a huge club also in Asia; we have many fans there, and we will have a tough game, we will play hard and enjoy the game.”
“And of course, we did our homework, so as far as we know, JDT is still in the cup competition, and they are playing in the finals a couple of days before the match. So, we will watch the finals and keep our fingers crossed for JDT then,” mentioned Daniel.
Marco Reus not attending world cup
German Superstar Marco Reus not being called up for the German squad was a big blow, but not entirely, as Daniel knows he is a prominent figure in Asia. “Yes, he is still injured. He is dealing with an ankle injury. We do not know exactly the status. The plan is that he will join us for the tour and he will be with us, but we do not know yet, we will decide over the weekend, but of course, we know that he is a very prominent guy in Asia so I think his teammates will be happy to have their captain with them. We will know maybe on Monday; stay tuned.”
Thoughts about Dortmund performance so far
“I think we had some ups and downs. In the Champions League, we did very well; in the league, we also did well, but then we lost two games, we stayed positive for what was coming in the last 4-5 months, and we are still going to work hard”, mentioned Dony.
Alex added, “yes, as Dony said, we did well in the champions league, and in all three competitions, it was our first target over the winter. In the last games in the Bundesliga, it was not so good, we know, and yes, we have time now in the winter to train well, and in the second half, we will improve and fight back”.
Advice for Vietnamese footballers to improve
Experienced winger Dony, who has been in countless of similar situations before, said, “I think you just have to use your mind. When facing someone bigger, try to react quickly, anticipate earlier and take advantage of that.”
Prior to AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup
When asked about how prepared Dortmund is going to be to go up against players who will be using games like these to their utmost advantage before AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup, Dony mentioned, “I think we are going to prepare like we always do, look at the teams look at the players, their qualities their weaknesses. Yeah, because it is their preparation and our preparation for the other half of the season; we both got to be ready and work hard.”
Daniel mentioned, “we are not taking these games lightly; we know tough opponents are coming up for us.”
Rooting for the World Cup
No doubt, as Alex replied, “for me, as a German, it is clear that I am for Germany. Yes, it will be interesting that the World Cup now is in the winter, and also the new temperature there for all the people that come from Europe and I am looking forward to seeing all the games and that the first game will begin in 2 days.”
Borussia Dortmund will face Lion City Sailors FC on the 24th of November 2022, Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. on the 28th of November 2022, and the Vietnam National Team on the 30th of November 2022.
“Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, we are coming; we are ready. We look forward to seeing you all soon at the games and the training sessions before the matches, so please be there and cheer for us. Soon we will be there”, mentioned Daniel.