His equalizing goal marked the turning point on Sunday and paved the way for Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 3-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg. What was special about Ko Itakura’s third goal of the season and how he experienced his new position in midfield.
Met in Wolfsburg to make it 1-1: Gladbach’s Ko Itakura. IMAGO/Christian Schroedter
Ko Itakura’s shot was measured at a speed of 113 km/h and landed in the hosts’ box after Wolfsburg’s Moritz Jenz deflected it past his goalkeeper Pavao Pervan. It was the key moment of the game – and the hardest successful shot attempt of the last Bundesliga matchday. Suddenly Itakura takes out his right stick.
“It’s good to know I have such a hard shot,” smiled Itakura about his record. The Japanese also took a lesson from the surprising statistics for the remaining matchdays: “If I get the opportunity to finish in a similar position in the future, I will definitely try it again.”
Seoane’s move turns out to be a hit
Itakura was an important factor in Gladbach’s second away win of the season, and not just because of his goals. Coach Gerardo Seoane’s move to move the regular central defender to the six-man position next to Julian Weigl proved to be a hit. With a double six and the 3-4-3 system, which became a 5-4-1 against the ball, the team achieved significantly more stability than in previous weeks.
“We haven’t scored many points in the last few weeks and have conceded too many goals. That’s why it was important to focus even more on defense,” explained the 27-year-old. Itakura was satisfied with the result: “If we manage to stand securely and thereby win balls, we can also switch well offensively – we showed that in Wolfsburg.”
Itakura on the six: “It worked out quite well”
The defensive midfield is of course not unknown territory for the national player. Itakura has also played a few games on the six in Gladbach. After the successful attempt in Wolfsburg as Weigl’s partner, this time it could be a longer-term solution that Seoane might even stick with until the end of the season.
“If you only play in the center of defense for a long time, it takes a while to find your way back to the six position. But in Wolfsburg my role was very clear to me. I was supposed to ensure stability in the defensive midfield together with Julian Weigl. I tried “To fill this role in the best possible way and to support both our central defenders and our attackers. That worked out quite well,” said Itakura.
With new self-confidence against Dortmund?
And his expectations for Saturday when he plays Borussia Dortmund at home? “Dortmund have a very good team, so it certainly won’t be an easy task for us. But we’ll be playing at home in front of our fans, who will certainly support us fantastically again,” says Itakura. “We also gained new confidence after the win in Wolfsburg. We want to take that into the game on Saturday.”
2024-04-10 18:38:00
#kmh #Itakura #unpacks #stick
