Sebastian Kehl: “We want to make it as far as possible” | OneFootball

Sebastian Kehl on the past Bundesliga season:“Of course, we sat down together and analysed things very critically because we went through different phases this season. I think the last phase was very, very good and reinforced our belief in the path we are on and the decisions we have made. I think the squad worked very well in many areas, including with the new signings. But there were also phases of the season that were unsatisfactory. We will use the Club World Cup to continue working on these issues. Nevertheless, I believe that with the current combination of coach and team, and with the goals we were ultimately able to achieve, the outlook is not so bad and not as bleak as it had been for quite some time.”

...Niko Kovac and squad planning:“If you look at the last few weeks, he has got a lot out of the squad. He has made individual players better. Players who may have been criticised for a long time have been given a new lease of life. Of course, we are thinking together about what we can still do. Where can we make adjustments? But there is a long transfer window for that – from 1 July to the end of August. For now, though, we are very happy with our squad: we have a good squad structure. Even though one or two players will unfortunately not be able to take part in the Club World Cup, we still feel we have a strong enough squad.”

...New signing Jobe Bellingham:“He is totally open, very curious, very clear. He's known the club for a while, has already trained with us, is full of energy and will therefore be available straight away, making our squad even better. We are all convinced that he is a player that will make us better with his physicality, his character, his winning mentality and his athletic ability, but also with his potential for development. He has offered us the chance to invest in this age group again. We all had a clear idea in our heads of investing in this age group this summer. There was only one opinion in the eyes of everyone at the club: do everything we can to sign Jobe for Borussia Dortmund. It wasn't easy, but in the end we managed it. This shows that this club is still very strong in this segment and still has appeal.”

...planning for the Club World Cup:“We are all looking forward to this tournament. It's great to be one of the two German teams taking part. We have worked hard for this over the last few years. It will attract sporting attention and provide an economic incentive for us. And, of course, we must try to keep everything in perspective with a view to the new season. We've actually prepared for it in the best possible way: we're trying to adjust things, both in terms of our rhythm here and on site, to create the best conditions for performing well in this competition. After that, we'll have a few days' holiday before we switch our focus to the new season. But the squad is big enough and good enough to take on this challenge.”

...the goals for the Club World Cup:“First of all, we want to get through the group stage and reach the round of 16. And then we'll see who we're up against. In theory, it could be Inter Milan, and in the quarter-finals it could be Real Madrid or Man City. So we'll be facing European teams. Nevertheless, it's a very exciting tournament. Let's see where this tournament takes us in the end, but we want to go as far as possible – as always.”