With his first hat-trick in a BVB shirt, Niclas Fullkrug secured three important points against Bochum for his club on Sunday. After three wins in as many games in 2024, the German national team striker believes Borussia Dortmund are on the right track – but still far from hitting the ceiling.The Westfalenstadion had already emptied out for the most part when Fullkrug left the dressing room on Sunday evening and made his way home. With him: a match ball from the win against Bochum, where the BVB striker had just scored his third hat-trick in the Bundesliga – and his first in the Dortmund shirt. The beautiful souvenir had been “handed to him” after the match, said the 30-year-old.HAT-TRICK DE FULLKRUG CONTRA O BOCHUM 🪟🎩 pic.twitter.com/9xHMXktdwN— Euro Fut (@EuroFute) January 28, 2024 After scoring his seventh, eighth, and ninth league goals for BVB this season, he was in extremely good spirits. The national team striker is known as a player who does not shy away from criticism and conflict. He openly addresses things that are not going well to wake up teammates and actively address shortcomings. After the match against Bochum, which BVB ultimately won quite comfortably thanks to his three goals, he seemed somewhat puzzled by some critical questions from the press.Ultimately, Fullkrug admitted that “we still lack the final punch” despite hitting three goals. However, his overall conclusion remained positive.”Everyone knows that there is still room for improvement. We won the last three games with a goal difference of 10-1. In the first half of the season, we didn’t always have the consistency to win these games convincingly. In the end, we even had trouble winning them at all. We’re currently rebuilding that self-confidence.”The numbers support Fullkrug’s assessment: Ten goals scored in 2024 are unmatched by any other Bundesliga team. Borussia is also the only team in the league to have come through the first three games without dropping points. They are encouraging figures. Especially since Edin Terzic’s team returned to the Champions League places with the victory over local rivals Bochum – also because competitor Leipzig has the opposite trend of BVB and is still without a point in January.##NAJAVA_MECA_7828939##Fullkrug didn’t accept the argument that Dortmund had an easier schedule with opponents like Darmstadt, Cologne, and Bochum.”These are exactly the opponents we often had problems with. Now we’re winning those games.” Increased flexibility in attacking play could help because the two-striker model picked by Terzic due to Bochum’s man-to-man marking showed potential. Fullkrug and Youssoufa Moukoko repeatedly managed to draw the Bochum centre-backs out of position. However, the occupation of the spaces freed up by this movement by the wingers Donyell Malen and Jadon Sancho still left something to be desired – and that’s what Fullkrug means when he talks about the team’s unlocked potential.Fullkrug and Moukoko found each other several times in combination play, albeit mostly outside the penalty area. The occupation of the penalty area also looked promising, but the crosses were still missing. Nevertheless, the hat-trick hero is happy with playing alongside his partner.”I think it’s good. You look for each other when you have a striker next to you. And if there’s a free foot on the wing, the centre-backs have to take care of two players. As a striker, you have a different presence, you can come in front of the opponent or make crossing runs.”🚨🏴 Jadon Sancho won a penalty for Dortmund today vs Köln… He wanted to take it and begged Niclas Füllkrug for the ball, but the striker didn’t allow him. Sancho said: “Gimme the Ball! Gimme the Ball!”, as per @berger_pj. 😳 pic.twitter.com/n4aywwGDxv— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 20, 2024 The model could be used again on Friday when BVB faces promoted team Heidenheim. By then, the injury situation is likely to have eased significantly: Julian Brandt, Gregor Kobel, and Marco Reus, who were absent due to illness on Sunday, are expected to return during the week. Also, Rami Bensebaini will be available after returning from the AFCON. Julien Ryerson and Karim Adeyemi are expected to return to team training, at least.Everything is easier when you’ve got an in-form striker raring to go.
