Neuer: We want to make the fans happy
24.02.2010
He may be only 23 years of age, but Manuel Neuer has already tasted the derby atmosphere on several occasions. Interviewed by schalke04.de, the keeper explained why he still gets butterflies in his stomach at the thought of the showdown with BVB. The Germany international also recalled events following the triumph in the reverse fixture, and assessed Friday’s opponents.
Manuel Neuer, Friday’s game at the VELTINS-Arena is a very special one for you and your team-mates, the derby against Borussia Dortmund. What’s the mood in the dressing room right now?
We’re all still gutted about losing to Wolfsburg despite taking the lead. But we have to forget about the defeat now because all that counts is the derby. It’s always better to go into your next match on the back of a win, but everything’s totally different against BVB. It’s pretty much comparable to a cup tie. It’s an all-or-nothing game, all that matters is winning.
You’ve played for Schalke since you were four, and you used to stand in the North Stand yourself as a kid and youth. How significant is the BVB clash to you personally?
There are three points at stake, just like every other Bundesliga fixture, but I wouldn’t say the game has no special meaning to me. I’m utterly determined to win. We’ll have that unique atmosphere again. Both sets of fans give their teams unconditional support, everyone involved is fired up. As a Schalke man, I’m obviously really up for this because we’re at home. We want to make the fans happy.
After the reverse fixture, Kevin Grosskreutz claimed you lashed out at him following the final whistle, but you were quickly exonerated by the TV footage. What will you do on Friday if Grosskreutz comes at you in a one-on-one situation?
I’ll try and take the ball off him. Everything which may or may not have happened after our 1-0 win in September is history now, even if I was extremely angry about certain things after the match and in the following days.
The Royal Blues and the Black-and-Yellows are close to each other geographically – and in the standings too, for the time being. How would you assess BVB in terms of strength and ability?
Dortmund are definitely one of our rivals for third place. I reckon Jürgen Klopp’s team will be there or thereabouts at the top come the end of the season – although hopefully behind us. If BVB hadn’t lost three on the trot before beating Hannover, it would have been a very tight clash. But we can draw confidence from winning our last six at home without conceding a goal. Three points off BVB would be enormously important when you look at what we have coming up in March.
Yes, it’s a challenging programme to say the least...
March won’t be easy. We’re away to Leverkusen and Hamburg. We took points off both in the first half of the season, but both games could easily have turned out differently. It’ll be very tough against Stuttgart too, because they’ve turned the corner and have played very well since the mid-season break. But for all that, we needn’t be afraid of anyone in the Bundesliga. We know what we’re capable of. We’re not third in the table by accident.
