October again, again in Munich, again top game. While Borussia Dortmund arrived on matchday 7 around a year ago four points behind the record champions, the two clubs are now level on points after seven games. The league can dream of a championship fight.
Dortmund's most important bosses will speak before the summit in Munich: Carsten Cramer, who was recently promoted to CEO, and sports boss Lars Ricken.
Question: Mr. Cramer, Mr. Ricken, you recently extended your contracts for the long term. How did the conversations go?
Carsten Cramer: Aki Watzke spoke to each of us personally; as president, he is responsible for our contracts. It was clear to myself that I would very much like to continue with the task, and I did not have the feeling that the Presidential Committee saw it any differently. That's why it was a fairly short conversation.
Lars Ricken: Our conversation lasted around an hour. Of course, it was mainly about sporting topics between Aki and me. How we have developed, what we plan to do now. We clarified the contents of the contract in less than ten minutes.
Question: What exactly do you plan to do?
Ricken: First of all, I would like to follow Aki's tradition: to be there for the club, especially in times when things may not be going so well. I feel obliged to do this. At the end of the day we do our daily work for this great club and for its fans, I am aware of that. To your question: We want to further develop our team and have continued to rejuvenate it. It is certainly also a goal to make our squad even more valuable. And of course we will continue to think about where we can save costs in the future without losing substance.
Question: Were title goals also discussed?
Cramer: It is undisputed that we want to remain the most ambitious BVB. Of course we could say: We want to reach the cup final twice in the next three years and become German champions once. But that catches up with us on the day of publication. We don't get there by announcing and chatting, but by doing things. We want to get better every day and have to become even more creative. And we want to get even more people and partners excited about BVB and show them what a great club we are. We can still grow there, that is our potential. However, this will not lead to the dimensions that we are now seeing in Munich.
Question: You mention the Viessmann deal. The company becomes a shareholder in FC Bayern – and pays around 250 million euros for it.
Cramer: A big compliment for that. Of course, the entry also shows how big Bayern's lead is. We certainly wouldn't object to such a valuable deal, but this economic dimension is in a significantly different category. You have to say that honestly. We're not complaining about that. But it helps to classify the situation in the league.
Ricken: For us, it's even more about detailed work. This starts with our new greenkeeper, who prepares our grass pitches even better. We have further improved the athletic area and strengthened our analysis team. Bayern are ahead of us financially. And yet we won't give up before a season and want to beat them when we play against them.
Question: On which match day this season would BVB and Bayern have to be tied on points for you to say: We want to become German champions?!
Cramer: At least definitely not on matchday 8 (laughs). I stick with it: If you're loud, you won't necessarily achieve your goal better or even faster.
Question: Isn't that false reticence?
Cramer: No. Because it doesn't change our ambitions. One of the weaknesses of the league is that we have a very one-sided championship battle. But the nice thing from our point of view is that when a club is believed to be able to stand up to Bayern, Borussia Dortmund is always mentioned. You have to work for that first. No club in history has managed to achieve this in the long term. We've been able to do this for a long time now, even though the other clubs' options aren't completely different. I find that remarkable – and at the same time it has a disadvantage.
Question: Which one?
Cramer: We also notice that the expectations placed on us are incredibly high, especially in our own environment. No club is viewed as critically as we are. We almost have to apologize if we draw in the league after four wins in a row. We want to get better, we want to get closer. But you have to classify the requirements from time to time. What Lars, Ole (sports director Book; editor) and Niko (coach Kovac) have built up here in the last few months is extraordinary. This is suddenly completely ignored with a 0-1 defeat at Bodø/Glimt. I'm missing the measure.
Ricken: We only have English weeks here for months, the strain is extreme. As a player you can hardly take a breather, that's part of the truth. I recently asked a lot of players how they were doing. They say: It's a lot. But no one complains. That speaks for the attitude of our team.
Question: In your most recent “Sport Bild” interview, you said, Mr. Ricken, that BVB wanted to stand for work and spectacle. Did the plan fail?
Ricken: The work has been completed one hundred percent.
Question: And the spectacle?
Ricken: I think so: There is a lot going on on the pitch where Borussia Dortmund plays. We consciously decided on this path in the summer: Joane Gadou is a player who plays spectacularly even as a central defender. Otherwise we only signed offensive players. We have this requirement to play well. It is also clear that we still have room for improvement. But I also have to say: We have around 50 games this season. It's not possible to just play hurray football. And not always necessary.
Question: Nevertheless, many fans continue to complain about the style of play under Kovac.
Ricken: A yardstick for me is when we sit together with other club representatives. And I'm telling you: They all have no desire to play against Borussia Dortmund. Even with a good performance, they are more likely to hope for a draw than a win. And that's exactly what we want to convey, that we are unpleasant for every opponent to play against.
Question: Vincent Kompany, the coach of FC Bayern, is currently struggling with health problems; he recently collapsed on the training ground. Does this also show how enormous the pressure is on coaches?
Ricken: I wish Vincent Kompany all the best and a speedy recovery. With Niko we also see how high the strain is on a coach who has to prepare a game every three days. I would like to give an example, we've gone through it: Niko has to give over 200 press conferences or interviews before and after games every season. Not wasting yourself is a special art.
Cramer: I agree and send my best wishes for a speedy recovery to Vincent Kompany. I found the way FC Bayern dealt with it really exemplary. And I would also like to follow up on Lars' second point: You also have to keep in mind how many conflict discussions a trainer has to have. At least ten before every game. Namely with the players who are not in the starting eleven. Moderating this is not always easy. The trainer's job is an incredibly big challenge. I take my hat off to that.
Question: As the new CEO, are you releasing a transfer budget for the winter, Mr. Cramer?
Cramer: We've been in a phase since last winter to get ourselves fit for the future. We have optimized costs and grown with our revenues. As a club you can't just rely on transfer fees from England; we have already become more independent of that. If there is a need for action in winter, we will talk about it. From an economic perspective, we are absolutely on schedule and therefore always able to act. Always with a clear motto.
Question: Please.
Cramer: We're not doing hara-kiri here to start an overtaking maneuver on FC Bayern. That would be unreasonable and our club's past has taught us how dangerous that is. I'm always very reassured that our sports officials see it the same way. We're all pulling together here, and that's very beneficial for Borussia Dortmund's development.
Question: Would you sign the following sentence, Mr. Ricken? BVB is extending the contracts with Gregor Kobel, Waldemar Anton and Julian Ryerson until the end of the year.
Ricken: I sign: We want to continue working with these players under the right economic conditions. However, we do not provide any water level reports about the timing.
Question: What about Serhou Guirassy? His contract also expires in 2028.
Ricken: Exactly the same applies to him.
Question: So should he also get a new contract?
Ricken: You can count Serhou among the other three players. In the case of Serhou, speculation about a possible departure began with his signing. I can say that there was never a conversation with him or his advisors about him wanting to leave us. He knows what he has in our club. And we know what we have in him. Our new additions in the summer also aim to showcase it even more. I am sure that this will be reflected more and more on the pitch.
