Gregor Kobel put in the next strong performance against Milan – and also sees an opportunity in BVB’s current playing problems.
Gregor Kobel answered reporters’ questions patiently and at length in the belly of the Signal-Iduna-Park on Wednesday evening, only suddenly becoming tight-lipped at the end. Asked what factors still depended on his signing a new contract with Borussia Dortmund, the keeper replied: “There’s not that much to say about it.” Why? Why? “Because there’s not that much to say about it yet.”
Kobel did not explicitly emphasise the “yet”, but could have done so safely. Just half a day later, his contract extension until 2028 was perfect – significant salary increase included. It is a small exclamation mark from the BVB bosses, who know that Kobel has long attracted the interest of other clubs. The number 1 only made his value to BVB clear again on Wednesday.
The fact that Dortmund at least managed a 0-0 draw against AC Milan was also thanks to Kobel, who made several alert saves When asked about his striking coolness in one-on-one duels, he played it down as simple necessity: “The players in front of you also have a brutal coolness, and if you offer space too early or choose sides, they see that. “
Kobel: “We have made many steps forward “
While Kobel, who has a strong grade point average of 2.5 in the new Bundesliga season, is part of a Dortmund defence that has worked well of late, the goal threat on the other side remains a problem. “That’s not necessarily my speciality,” Kobel replied when asked how that could be improved. “We can be more aggressive in the rest of the defence so we have more players in the final third to just create more face-off spots.”
Basically, “we have made many good steps forward, you can see a development,” Kobel thinks with a view to the bumpy first games of the season. And that even now not everything is working out by far, while clubs like Bayer 04 Leverkusen, although only two points better placed, are celebrated weekly? “It’s very positive that we don’t always have that punch offensively yet, haven’t scored quite as many goals as other clubs in the Bundesliga and still managed to collect a lot of points,” Kobel said. “If you really want to be successful, it’s important to win tough games even when everything doesn’t go together offensively. We showed that we can do that. “
