FIRST TEAM
02/18/2015

Oliver Baumann: "I'll find the way to the visitors' changing room”

Oliver Baumann has been wearing TSG colours since the start of the season. On Saturday, he is set to face his former club SC Freiburg. It will be his first trip to the visitors' changing room. It's a special game for the goalkeeper, who spent 14 years at Freiburg. achtzehn99.de caught up with the 24-year-old to discuss the upcoming match and last weekend's victory over Stuttgart.

Let's briefly look back at the last-minute victory over VfB Stuttgart…

Oliver Baumann: Of course it was great that our efforts were rewarded. We didn't start the second half of the season the way we hoped. That's why it was great to win such a tough and intense game in front of our own supporters. The three points and the manner in which we won them will prove to be an important experience for us. We really got stuck in and didn't give up.

Tenacity isn't a trait often associated with Hoffenheim. They're known for being a fluid and elegant side.

Baumann: Indeed, that's what people would expect from us. We break quickly, play great football and have talented forwards. However, that's only half of the story. We always work hard, cover plenty of ground and we top the league in terms of tackling. These things are also part of our playing style. We always try to inject pace into the game and win back possession quickly. In a derby, especially against a team like Stuttgart, qualities such as commitment, fighting spirit and passion become even more important.

That will undoubtedly be the case again on Saturday. Asking you whether it's a special game is redundant, isn't it?

Baumann: True. I spent 14 years playing for Freiburg; more than half of my life. You don't forget things like that quickly. I'm confident I'll be able to find my way to the visitors' changing room though (laughs). I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to meet up with the people that I know so well. I will try to shut that out during the warm-up and the game itself though. The only thing that matters is collecting the three points.

You haven't kept a clean sheet in 2015. Does that annoy you?

Baumann: Every goal I concede annoys me of course. It doesn't matter how its scored. If it didn't bother me, it would probably mean that I've picked the wrong job.

You've been known for raising your voice after conceding…

Baumann: I don't just raise my voice when we concede. As a goalkeeper you don't have a choice; it's your only chance to be heard. The others aren't always nearby and of course, the stadium is noisy. I try to help my teammates by shouting. I can follow the entire game from my vantage point, which means that sometimes I spot something that could help us.

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