Julian Draxler: 'Still not at our best'

Julian, you made your return at Brest. How did that go for you?
"I didn't know I would play that game, the coach didn't tell me before. For me, ,it was important to get minutes under my belt to get back into the swing of things. And of course, when you come back after so long out, the first match is generally never the best. I wasn't as quick as usual, and I felt that. But for me, it was really important. And I was lucky enough to give Angel an assist. I'm happy to have been able to show the coach he can count on me, and that's what he did in the following game."

How is it to be out for such a long time?
"It's tricky. It's difficult to watch games on TV or in the stands because you want to be with the team. You want to be on the pitch. But for me, the most difficult thing was that when I started gentle training with the medical staff, the pain came back. So I worked three or four days in the gym. I felt good on the fifth day, went out...and after training, I felt a pain just as I had on the first day. It was really frustrating."

You're up against Montpellier this weekend. Do you know what kind of game you'll get?
"Yes, we know. I'm starting to really get to know the teams, their style of play, the stadiums...It's always difficult at Montpellier. We've had some problems in recent years. I know it's difficult to play there, but it's another chance for us to show that we can play games in difficult stadiums too. Let's hope everything comes together for us to put in a great performance."

What do you think about the first part of the season so far?
"You're never at your best when a new season starts. And in my opinion, we're still not there yet. Some people have been injured and out for some time, and are still not 100%. The coach has had to adapt a lot to those absences. We have some big games after Christmas, and we hope the injuries are behind us. I prefer to have them in the first half of the season to be at our best in January."