Dortmund star: ‘Guinean Serhou Guirassy not having easy time’

Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck has explained how the Bundesliga team is helping struggling Guinean striker Serhou Guirassy to find his feet again.

The 29-year-old found the back of the net for the German side twice as they thrashed Villarreal FC 4-0 in a UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. Karim Adeyemi and Daniel Svensson were also on target against the Spanish opposition which was reduced to 10 men after Juan Foyth was sent off for a handball.

In a post-match interview with Dortmund’s website, Schlotterbeck commented particularly on the Guinean forward who walked off the pitch with the man-of-the-match award. Guirassy’s performance has been erratic. He only scored in the Bundesliga on November 1, ending a goal-drought dating back to September.

“The red card did us good,” Schlotterbeck said. “We came out of the half-time break better this time than we did against Stuttgart. All in all, we hardly allowed them any chances, except for one or two half-chances in the first half. In the second half, it was really good — just as we imagined it would be.

“Serhou (Guirassy) hasn’t had an easy time lately. The coach keeps putting his faith in him, and we do too. Then — let me put it this way — a simple goal is a weight off his shoulders. As a striker, you have to be there, and he has a feel for it. Two players go to the line. He does well and is in exactly the right place.”

The French-born striker has since expressed his delight to score twice against Villarreal.

“…I’m happy that I can help the team. You can’t always score goals. We have to keep working hard,” he said.

Overall, the Guinean has scored 10 goals in 17 games this season. He was the Champions League’s leading scorer in the last edition with 13 goals.