Mats Hummels had 'no desire for football'

Borussia Dortmund defender Hummels had 'no desire for football' after Euro 2012

03-Oct-2012 1:40:00 AM

The Germany international opened up about his depression in the summer, and spoke about the problems existing within die Schwarzgelben that have led to their loss of form

Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels has revealed his struggles to cope with the non-stop fixture list, citing exhaustion as the root cause of his poor displays of late.

The 23-year-old made 33 league appearances on the way to helping Jurgen Klopp's men successfully defend their Bundesliga title last term, before spending the summer helping Germany to the semi-finals of the European finals.

"After Euro 2012, I had very little holiday and almost no desire to play football," Hummels recalled to Bild. "I was slipping into depression, from all the travelling.

"Even if I deliberately tried to focus on other things, I got angry after games like those against Frankfurt and Hamburg. I felt responsible for several of the goals we conceded.

"The team have had their problems, even many, in fact. But they've always been there – we've not won our titles without obstacles."

Despite his mental burnout, the centre-back hinted that he has turned the corner after the 5-0 mauling of Borussia Monchengladbach at the weekend.

"I feel I'm coming back to the game however. The 5-0 win was a start. Now, it's important we put this mini-crisis behind us and get back to form.

"Bayern Munich are having an impressive season, but we were eight points behind them last time around, and were still champions."