BVB star Schlotterbeck reveals emotional reason for performance explosion

Bundesliga

For Nico Schlotterbeck, the past year was a roller coaster ride of emotions. In the first half of the year, he put in an outstanding second half of the season with his former club SC Freiburg, which ended for the Breisgauer in sixth place in the table and in the DFB Cup final. In the final, however, SC had to give up on penalties against RB Leipzig.

In the summer, Schlotterbeck finally made the first major change of his career: Borussia Dortmund secured the services of the strong left-footed player for a fee of 20 million euros. However, the first half of the season with BVB was mixed: the 23-year-old made repeated mistakesand the team performance was often not right either.

Schlotterbeck rearranges itself after World Cup embarrassment with DFB

To top it all off, Schlotterbeck was also one of the protagonists in the inglorious World Cup defeat of the German national team in Qatar: the decisive goal in the 2-1 defeat against Japan was clearly his fault in the eyes of many fans.

In the World Cup game against Japan, Schlotterbeck was unable to prevent the winning goal scorer Takuma Asano from shooting.Image: AP/Ebrahim Noroozi

After the disappointing desert tournament, in which the DFB-Elf did not make it past the preliminary round, he needed “a vacation first”, Schlotterbeck said in an interview with “Kicker“. With good intentions, he then started the new year in a focused manner – with demonstrable great success.

Dortmund went on a ten-game winning streak that has taken them to the top of the Bundesliga table. During the international break, BVB is now greeting from Platz an der Sonne. Just in time for Schlotterbeck’s DFB return: The Dortmunder was nominated by Hansi Flick for the upcoming friendlies against Peru and Belgium.

In the interview, the central defender revealed a surprising reason for his performance explosion.

“The fact that my brother (Keven, editor’s note) has been playing in Bochum since the winter and is therefore close to me again certainly plays a role. I have an anchor in him,” says Nico Schlotterbeck. Spending time with his two-year-old brother, who is on loan at VfL Bochum, helps him a lot to switch off.

BVB: Nico Schlotterbeck’s family helps with advice

The Waiblinger, who was born in Waiblingen, reveals that even when he was playing in the Stuttgarter Kickers U15s, family support helped him out of a performance slump. “My parents and my brother Keven, who always support me, often had to build me up back then. And just like back then, I’ve asked them for advice again,” says Schlotterbeck.

But he also self-critically admits his own mistakes. “Perhaps I should have given fewer interviews and concentrated more on my game,” says Schlotterbeck in retrospect. Because if the performance is not right, “research statements” would often fly around your ears. “I’ve learned to be more humble and to talk less. But on the other hand, the extrovert also belongs to me,” says Schlotterbeck.