Julian Brandt on stepping up at Dortmund and the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Paris
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
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"The foundation has to be laid in the first leg," says the 27-year-old attacking midfielder as Dortmund look to take the game to group stage opponents Paris in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
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Signed from Leverkusen in 2019, Julian Brandt has had just one trophy to show for his time at Dortmund (the 2020/21 German Cup), but the lessons he has learned along the way have been huge for the 27-year-old attacking midfielder.
As Dortmund prepare to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the German club's first UEFA Champions League semi-final since they finished runners-up in 2012/13, Brandt is hoping that his experience in dealing with pressure can come into play – and that his side can improve on the 2-0 defeat they suffered away to Paris in this season's group stage.
On his development at Dortmund
When I compare my time at Leverkusen with my time here at Dortmund, the contrast is massive. I think I've learned a lot here, as I had a spell at the beginning when absolutely nothing went right and then I became a much more mature player than was the case before. I've played here with a lot of absolutely outstanding players.
The criticism that comes your way after losing a game or two, which is something every player will experience, is on a different level here. There's a lot more media interest so, as a young player, you have a more intense wave coming your way. That was definitely something I learned. Also, [I learned] to keep my feet on the ground, because the bigger the club and the noise around the club gets, the greater the criticism, on the one hand – but, on the other, the higher the praise when things are going well, and you start to feel like the king of the world.
On the quarter-final win against Atlético de Madrid
It still seems like a crazy match. You don't forget evenings like that easily, and you gladly take them home with you. You notice the incredible energy that such a mass of people all in one stadium together can produce. It takes you to a new level in terms of what you achieve at the end of the game. Those are moments in your football career that you'll like to look back on.
On the group stage meetings with Paris
In Paris, our game was disastrous: we didn't give a good impression of ourselves at all. We allowed ourselves to be a bit intimidated whenever we got into any attacking situations from which we might score a goal. We didn't play well.
The match at home was a bit different. We knew a draw would be enough for us to win the group. That's different to being in a 'life-or-death situation', so to speak, like we'll have in the semi-final.
On the semi-final rematch
Both teams are capable of achieving an awful lot. We'll fancy our chances, but I'm sure PSG will too. The only thing that will be different from the tie against Atlético will be that we play the home leg first and then go there.
So, I'd say the foundation has to be laid in the first leg. It wouldn't be right of me, though, based on the match against Atlético, to claim we are in any sort of position that we're not: we're not the favourites. It will be decided on very minor details – that's always the way in a semi-final. So, we have to be careful we don't make the same sorts of mistakes we made against Atlético.
