After their 1:0 away win over MSV Duisburg, Cottbus are looking good in their battle to avoid relegation. Energie’s Danish striker Dennis Sörensen has played a big role in his team’s current success.
Sörensen, who transferred to Cottbus from Danish side FC Midtjylland before the season, is indispensable to the Cotttbus attack. He’s played in all 27 Bundesliga games this season, and has chalked up five goals for his team.
The three-time Danish international remains a well-rounded player. Still, he wants to keep on improving. “I have to get more effective and be more dangerous in front of goal, said the 1.93 metre tall giant. bundesliga.de talked with Sörensen about some unforgettable moments, his strike partners at Cottbus, and his homeland.
bundesliga.de: Mr. Sörensen, Cottbus beat Duisburg this past weekend and picked up three crucial points against a direct competitor. Was the win over MSV more important than your 2:0 home win against FC Bayern?
Dennis Sörensen: No. Of course wins over direct competitors like Duisburg or Bielefeld are important. But the victory over Bayern was fantastic, and gave us a lot of self-confidence. And that has shown. Energie Cottbus can beat any team in the Bundesliga. That experience was very important for us.
bundesliga.de: You came to Cottbus from FC Midtjylland before the start of the season. What’s the difference between the Bundesliga and the Danish top flight?
Sörensen: At my old club, ten thousand fans came to home games. In the Bundesliga, we play in front of sixty thousand spectators. You can’t compare it. The players in Germany are better, and the whole game is just faster than in Denmark. As a striker, you have to react quicker, run more and take control of situations faster.
bundesliga.de: You and Ervin Skela are the only ones on your team who have played every league game for Energie this season. Are you satisfied with your first Bundesliga season?
Sörensen: Yes. I ve played a lot, learned a lot and gained so much experience. But of course things could always improve.
bundesliga.de: What do you need to improve?
Sörensen: I have to be more dangerous in front of goal. In the Bundesliga, a striker only gets one or two chances a game. And so I have to be more effective.
bundesliga.de: Which moment from the current season do you remember best?
Sörensen: The win over Bayern was great. But we’d been waiting a long time for our first away win, so the success in Duisburg was at least as satisfying.
bundesliga.de: What was the worst moment?
Sörensen: I get angry about games where we were the better team but still lost. For example, at home against Duisburg. We shot on Duisburg’s goal 20 times they only shot four times on ours. But in the end we still lost 2:1. Football’s no fun at moments like that. I d rather lose 5:0 to FC Bayern. Then at least I could say, Bayern were obviously the better team, we didn t have a chance.
bundesliga.de: Which opponents cause the most problems for you?
Sörensen: In the home game against Dortmund, we had big problems with the attack, and for 90 minutes I just couldn’t get past Dortmund defender Dede.
bundesliga.de: You transferred to Energie Cottbus in the summer break. Did you know the club before then?
Sörensen: Bundesliga games are broadcast in Denmark as well. And so I was familiar with Energie Cottbus. But I’d never been to the city before transferring here.
bundesliga.de: We’re conducting this interview in German. Why is your German so good after only ten months in Cottbus?
Sörensen: I studied German in school for several years. Before I came to Cottbus last summer, I hadn’t spoken a word of German for eight years. But it’s nice to be able to improve my German once again.
bundesliga.de: You’ve played with different strike partners in past games: Stiven Rivic, Branko Jelic and Michal Papadopulos. Who do you like playing with best?
Sörensen: I don’t have any favourite strike partner. It’s good for the club that we have several good strikers. It makes us harder to figure out, and it serves us well in a variety of situations. When I play in attack with Papadopulos, we have two big, hard-running attackers. Jelic, on the other hand, is strong in the box. When he’s my strike partner, I have to try to get the right pass to him.
bundesliga.de: Five teams are still in danger of relegation. Can you give me three reasons why Energie will still be in the Bundesliga next season?
Sörensen: The team has gotten to know itself better, and has internalized the coach’s system. That was our main problem in the first half of the season. Also, we’re more engaged than the competition. And we finally managed our first away win, against Duisburg. Now I’m convinced we can win one or two more on the road this season.
bundesliga.de: On Saturday, Bielefeld are coming to Cottbus for another encounter between relegation candidates. Any predictions?
Sörensen: 3:1 for Energie Cottbus!
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