Interview
“We want to achieve even more” – media round with Gregor Kobel
Gregor Kobel on the topics covered at training camp:
“We’ve always been good defensively and will keep it that way. We’ve seen a lot of good things that have made us stable recently. We can create even more opportunities for our forwards so that they have more chances to score goals. As a team, we want to get even more out of ourselves, collect even more points and score even more goals.”
…defence:
“We’re conceding a lot less. The forwards are also doing a really, really good job. As a goalkeeper, you’re obviously at the mercy of what comes your way. We have very good interplay between the defence, goalkeeper, midfield and forwards – everyone is involved. There are always 11 of us defending. As a whole team, we have excellent focus.”
…potential in attacking play:
“If you concede fewer goals, you also have to score fewer to win a game. That’s why it’s very important for us to pick up where we left off: we have to try to stay compact, concede as few goals as possible and – as I said before – give our forwards even more options to create scoring chances. That way, we can become even more dangerous and score even more goals.”
…the second half of the season:
“We have shown that we are a very good team. Unfortunately, we didn’t win a few games, even though we were certainly in a position to win them. Nevertheless, we already have a very good points tally, especially when you compare it to recent years. We are in a very good position and it can give us courage that we have already collected this number of points. We have to continue doing what has made us so strong. We want to improve even further in certain areas. The important thing, in my opinion, is that we give everything we have to get the most out of ourselves and improve as a team. And then we’ll see what we can achieve.”
… his reading material in Marbella:
“I’ve brought two books with me. And believe it or not, I don’t even know the titles of either of them. One is about psychology and the other is about society and psychology. I think it’s always important to take time out and find a balance. We are extremely involved in football. From morning to night, everything revolves around football. But it’s also important to do something different every now and then so that you can concentrate on your job with renewed energy.”
…his other leisure activities at the training camp:
“I like playing everything, especially table tennis. I’m not much of a poker player anymore, but I’m up for anything else.”
…the atmosphere off the pitch:
“It’s about being together, making the most of our time here. It’s always good to be able to spend some time with your mates. A training camp is still different from away games, for example. Here, you have more time together and a different setting.”
Transcribed by Christina Reinke