FIRST TEAM
01/10/2016

Baumann: “Move forward as a team”

The current situation that Hoffenheim are in is not a new one for Oliver Baumann and Jonathan Schmid, who found themselves fighting to stay in the league with Freiburg. The two spoke to achtzehn99.de about the road they’re on, their intentions and peace and quiet.

How important has the winter break been for you?

Jonathan Schmid: The break has done me good. I was in Frankfurt with my family and I could take my mind off things and recover.

Oliver Baumann: It’s been the same for me. I spent the time with my family and after a short break we are getting on with the preparation that our coach has set out for us.

How happy are you with the way the training camp has gone so far?

Baumann: We are concentrating without distraction. That’s very important for us to do. Training has been intense, but it is going really well.

This morning you played an internal training game. Is it difficult to play against your own teammates?

Baumann: It’s definitely more difficult to play against your colleagues because we all know each other, our strengths and weaknesses and playing style. If the teams receive various instructions in the game, we know what is going to happen. It’s more difficult to surprise those you play with.

TSG begin the second half of the season bottom. You both know how that feels from your Freiburg days. What are your feelings and intentions post-winter break?

Baumann: The situation in Freiburg was similar to ours now but not exactly the same. During the break then we had a managerial change as Marcus Sorg was replaced by Christian Streich. He changed a lot of things and said that we had to start from scratch again. It doesn’t feel great being last at Christmas.

Can that apply to Hoffenheim as well?

Baumann: In certain ways yes. It will be challenging, especially as it is very tight at the bottom. Huub Stevens and his staff have set a direction for us to head in and we want to move forward as a team.

Jonathan, you experienced relegation last season. Why do you not want to go through that again?

Schmid: Being relegated is obviously not a nice feeling. The game ends and then it really hits you what has happened. I don’t want to ever go through that again. I am dedicated to giving everything to turn it around and we want to take decisive steps as soon as possible.

What is important for you in the second half of the season?

Baumann: It’s very important that we remain calm. We have two difficult games to begin with which we are meticulously preparing for right now in South Africa.

 

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