Gündogan: "It was pure joy"

Ilkay Gündogan is back. After an eleven month lay-off through injury, the 25-year-old made his long-awaited return in last night’s 3-0 win over the Czech Republic in Hamburg. The Manchester City midfielder spoke with DFB.de about his comeback for the national team, the positive start to World Cup qualifying, and how he enjoys the atmosphere in international fixtures.

DFB.de: Mr. Gündogan, it was a convincing 3-0 victory on Saturday against the Czech Republic. How did the team win the game so well?

Ilkay Gündogan: We kept the ball moving very well. It started right from the back with Mats Hummels and Jérôme Boateng, who were playing some fantastic passes forward, and we were really effective in our all-round build-up play. We stayed, kept the pressure up and were always looking to get forward, which meant that we pegged the Czechs back right from the off. From then, it was only a matter of time before we’d get what we deserved for the performance.

DFB.de: The passing game in general was flowing very well. How much of that is down to instinct and just happens spontaneously?

Gündogan: Obviously we try to work on certain aspects in training, to get these things to occur naturally. But our training time has been limited in this current international break, although we’re still trying to learn some specific moves. As well as that, the most important thing is that we have good footballers with a lot of quality in our side, who can deal with different situations. Sometimes that means instinctively making the right decisions out on the pitch, which we managed to do well against the Czech Republic. I wouldn’t complain if we kept on doing it in future as well! (laughs)

DFB.de: You came on as a substitute for Toni Kroos in the 76th minute. It was your comeback for the national team after almost eleven months out through injury. How did it feel to get back out there?

Gündogan: It was pure joy! There wasn’t much going through my head to be honest, I just ran out onto the pitch and wanted to make the most of the time that I had. Obviously the game will always stick out in the memory as a special one for me personally - not just because of my performance, but because it was so nice to finally be back. It will give me a big confidence boost that I can take into the next few games.

DFB.de: It’s been going really well for the national team in World Cup qualifying so far, with two wins from two games, and both by a 3-0 scoreline.

Gündogan: That’s right, and here’s hoping it will continue. We’ve been doing really well so far, but we know that we’ve not achieved anything yet. We have to keep proving ourselves, starting with our next game against Northern Ireland, when we’ll have to give everything we’ve got to get the next three points. At the end of it all, we want to be at the World Cup in Russia.

DFB.de: What are you expecting from Tuesday’s clash with Northern Ireland in Hannover?

Gündogan: In terms of their general style of play, the Northern Irish team are similar to the Czechs, but they will defend just that little bit deeper. They also play very tightly, fight for every ball and go in for every tackle. But if we put in another performance like we did against the Czech Republic, then I’m confident we’ll win the game.

DFB.de: The fans in Hamburg were creating a raucous atmosphere and got a wave going around the stadium, which was sold out with more than 50,000 people in attendance. How much do you pick up on such an atmosphere out on the pitch?

Gündogan: You definitely notice it. It might not be quite as intense as if you’re on the terraces or in the crowd, because you’ve got to remain fully focused on the match, but you do hear it, for sure. The atmosphere in Hamburg was one of the best I’ve ever experienced at an international game in Germany, and we hope there’ll be a similar reception for us in Hannover. We also want to do our part with our performance to help get the supporters going.

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