Szoboszlai: Don’t sulk, concentrate!

– Would you have thought at a one-goal disadvantage that the match would end with a victory?
– Luckily, the difference between the two teams really came out in the end, but it's a fact that in the first half, we didn't play football the way we planned – Dominik Szoboszlai, a Hungarian national team midfielder for RB Leipzig who played from the 64^th minute, told Nemzeti Sport the day after the 4–1 win against Fürth. – We discussed everything before the match, we knew that Fürth was an unpleasant opponent, but for some reason, we've lived in a time when the beginning was always a bit difficult. Luckily, we got ourselves together in time, and after swapping sides, we showed what kind of game we can play. From now on, however, from the very first minute, we have to perform as we did on Saturday after the break.

– You scored a goal by jumping up and hitting the ball with the inside of your right foot, while, at assist, you ran out of momentum and passed the ball with the right outside. Which one was harder?
– I wouldn't be able to answer that all of a sudden. I was thinking about getting the most out of both situations, and I'm glad it worked out well. Earlier, I had a talk with head coach Jesse Marsch about my performance, and he indicated that I should be around the box and come in front of the goal more and that I should play a more dangerous football. On Saturday, I tried to show him that I got his message.

– The season has been going on for a while. How would you rate your performance at Leipzig so far?
– When we spoke with the team, the head coach mentioned me individually as well. He said it honestly that he felt I couldn't provide my best in the first games. He told me that he knew me very well, he knew what I was capable of, but he had never seen 100 percent from me in Leipzig yet. It would have been difficult to argue with his words as I also felt that I had had better matches. However, I will do my best to prove that I can perform in one of the strongest European leagues the same way I played in Salzburg. The more matches I play, the more I pick up the pace and rhythm, I get fitter and have more and more opportunities to arrive in front of the goal at the best pace.

Dominik Szoboszlai's goal from 6:48, and his assist from 8:15.

– Kicker has previously said that you respond particularly well when you start on the bench, and you respond with your game instead of sulking. How do you cope with the fact that after the years in Salzburg, Leipzig sometimes puts you in the substitutes due to great competition within the team?
– Obviously, none of the players are happy when they're not in the starting lineup, but we're not little kids to sulk about the coach's decision. I have to concentrate, and then when the time comes and I get the chance, I have to perform in a way that the coach doesn't even think about putting me in the substitutes next week. And if I am a starter, I need to play well so I can be on the pitch from the first minute in the next game as well. Of course, it's easier said than done, but I like challenges.

– How important was the win against Fürth?
– It was important. We've been unbeaten since the last five leagues games, and we seem to be moving in the right direction. We've been playing better in the last few weeks than we did at the beginning of the season, but we still have a lot of work to do to make sure everyone in the team finds his place and everyone gets used to that style of play.

– How difficult was it to get over the midweek defeat against PSG?
– That's football. Unfortunately, it's in the cards that the team is doing great, but it's still without a point. We played well in Paris, enjoyed the game, so the direction was already good there, but this game is still being played for goals.

Translated by Vanda Orosz