“We’re performing at a more and more consistent level”

A 3-1 victory over Real Sociedad in the second leg of their knockout round play-off saw RBL through to the Europa League round of 16. They now turn their attention to their next league game against VfL Bochum, and attacker Yusuf Poulsen gave an interview ahead of the game.

Yussuf Poulsen on...

...the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine:

We players are hearing about the terrible events in Ukraine just as much as many others, and we hope for peace, but unfortunately that’s not the case at the moment. 

...the UEFA Europa League round of 16 draw:

Spartak Moscow qualified for the UEFA Europa League round of 16 in their own right, and that’s our attitude going into the tie. UEFA has decided that our away leg will not be played in Moscow and instead in neutral territory, and we of course support that decision.

...the win against Real Sociedad and the team’s development under Domenico Tedesco:

We’ve simply become stronger and more mature as a squad. We’ve been performing at a higher and, above all, a more consistent level. It also helps that everyone’s fit at the moment. The second leg in San Sebastián was the first time this season that we’ve had the entire squad at our disposal. I can clearly see the good progress made by the entire squad, we’re growing more and more together and we’re getting better as a team.

...the upcoming busy period:

When you’re still competing in three competitions at this stage of a season, then you need to expect a busy calendar. I find the way in which Domenico Tedesco is managing our games and players’ game time extremely good and we’re showing that on the pitch, in my opinion. For example, our substitutes have been able to make a real impact when the come on and make the difference in the closing stages of our matches. I’ve got no worries going into this busy period when I think about the level of quality each player has been delivering recently.

...this weekend’s match against VfL Bochum:

Bochum have several attackers in their ranks who are very quick and do well in one-on-one situations. We’ll need to work hard to stop that and defend any threatening situations. But we’ve shown we’re capable of that recently and we need to repeat that in Bochum. If we play like we know we can, I’m convinced we’ll be able to return to Leipzig with all three points

...on his current fitness level:

I was doing really well until my injury last autumn, but then I was out for a long time and could only return to training in January. The fact that I then tested positive for Coronavirus shortly afterwards meant that I wasn’t able to get back to full fitness, and it took time for me to get back into shape from both a physical and mental perspective. However, I’m feeling great again and I think I’ve shown that through my recent performances, and I don’t think I’m too far away from full fitness.