Nicolas: “I want to bring my best level of performance” | OneFootball

Moritz, you had to wait many years for your Bundesliga debut. Now you’ve been in goal for the Foals’ last four games. How does that feel?

Nicolas: Very good of course! I’m excited about every game that I play for Borussia. I’m very sorry for Jonas that he’s out injured for so long, but sadly injuries can always happen in sport. I’m just trying to make the best out of the situation and bring my best level of performance.

With what aims did you originally start the season for Borussia?

Nicolas: I didn’t even consider a fifth loan spell and definitely wanted to stay at Borussia and get myself into the best possible position here. My first aim was to present myself well in pre-season and then see what would eventually happen to me.

In your four appearances so far, you showed very view signs of nerves. Are you really that cool or was it sometimes different internally than externally?

Nicolas: It was already something special to play my first Bundesliga game for Borussia in front of a full house against FC Bayern. But from the moment that the game kicked off, I tried to focus on myself and do my job. A certain tension before the game is still always there now. That’s also part of delivering a good performance.

In the first three games, you had to pick the ball out of your net six times despite good performances. How much did that annoy you, even though you were powerless each time?

Nicolas: As a goalkeeper, you’d of course prefer to keep a clean sheet every match. But it’s also not a specific aim for me. I want to play well and bring my level of performance, because that’s the only thing I can influence. On the surface, I’m very pleased with my performances so far. After every game we analyse with the goalkeeping coaches what I could have done better or differently.

At the fourth attempt, you finally picked up a win last weekend. How relieved were you after the 3-1 victory in Bochum?

Nicolas: This win was hugely important not just for me, but for the whole team. The pressure got bigger and bigger with every game we didn’t win. That’s why we’re very happy that we’ve managed to get our first three points now. We had a good mentality and attitude on the pitch and countered the opponent’s playing style well. We want to build on that against Mainz.

What will it come down to on Friday evening?

Nicolas: I assume that it’ll be a similar game to in Bochum. Mainz are very strong in individual battles and start aggressively. It’ll therefore be important that we bring the same qualities onto the pitch as last weekend.