Borussia Dortmund are currently in Chicago, Illinois having just begun their preseason tour of the United States of America. BVB will play in the very first game of the International Champions Cup, a global preseason exhibition โtournament,โ kicking off tomorrow night against Manchester City at Chicagoโs Soldier Field.
BVB manager Lucien Favre and attacking midfielder Mario Gotze met the media tonight where they discussed a wide range of topics. Here are some of the major takeaways from the media session; full audio via sound cloud is available below:
Favre was asked about how Christian Pulisic fits in with the team, amidst all the transfer rumors surrounding the American. (he’s been linked with a move to Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur:
โI see him as a young player who can play a lot of positions. I can see him on the right, but he has potential on the left.โ
-Marco Reus is expected to join the team tomorrow, but obviously he wonโt be ready to play tomorrow night.
Favre on the opportunities of playing such elite sides as Liverpool and Manchester City here in the preseason:
โWe just started training just a week ago, but I think itโs a great opportunity to play against such strong competition.โ
Gotze is working under a new manager again. He’ll face one of his former mentors, from his Bayern Munich days, tomorrow night in Pep Guardiola. Klopp handed Gotze his Bundesliga debut as a raw but brilliant teenager.
โMy first three years with Jurgen Klopp were really successful, I also enjoyed my time with Pep Guardiola, and Iโm just really looking forward to getting back into it,โ said Gotze.
Favre on Jadon Sancho:
โvery young player, still has a lot to learn, very good one-on-one, very versatile with enormous potentialโ
Gotze on if the German national team disappointment in the World Cup could carry over and cause a hangover into the Bundesliga: โthere are two very distinctive competitions so I donโt see a hangover, carry over will occur.
Gotze of what City star Leroy Sane would have added to the German side had he not been snubbed from the team:
โI canโt really say why certain decisions were made on who wasnโt picked.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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