Hübner: We want to make things right immediately"

You have played every minute of the last eight Bundesliga matches, in most cases with your fellow defenders Niklas Süle and Kevin Vogt. How important is it to have this consistency in a three across the back formation?

Benjamin Hübner: “It’s unbelievably important, particularly at the back. We have bedded in well together and built up a rapport, to the point where we know who is going where in certain situations, without having to constantly look. That helps if I have the boys behind me, I know exactly what they are going to be doing and that makes everything easier. We have to speak to each other on the field too, because communication is key for a strong defence. We try to coach each us to help us develop.”

Last week saw the first defeat of the season in Leipzig, what are your reflections of the game?

Hübner:” Leipzig are a top team and we did not show what we are capable of like in previous games. They were aggressive and pressed hard. Me and the boys never like conceding but the two in Leipzig were particularly hard to take. The second came from a harmless attack that had a slice of luck and the first after we had tries to clear the ball and it bounced to one of their players. That was very frustrating.”

What did you learn from the match that you can take into the remaining games?

Hübner: “I think we just have to recall everything we did well in the first half of the season. Maybe a little bit of communication was lacking in Leipzig, and we will have to change that. We’ll also have to be more aggressive and want the victory more than our opposition. You can see everyone in the squad is frustrated right now and we want to put that right as soon as possible.”

Has a little bit of pressure been relieved now you are no longer playing for an unbeaten season?

Hübner: “No, the unbeaten run was never important to me, I didn’t even look to see how many games unbeaten we were, I only ever look forward to the next game, and I wanted to win that. With everything we had.”

It’s now the turn of Mainz 05 to come to Sinsheim. You weren’t in the squad for the 4-4 draw earlier in the season. Where and how did you watch the game?

Hübner: “Because it was an away game I didn’t go to the stadium, so I watched the game at home with my family. It looked as though we would get totally thrown under the bus because Mainz came out really strongly. We didn’t get going and went 3-0 down and it was 4-1 at half time. I did not want to watch the TV anymore but the lads showed a fantastic attitude and desire after the break. Watching the start at home was harder than if I had been out on the pitch with the guys.”

It will be the first home game of the new year, how have you prepared for the game?

Hübner: “It’s all about responding positively after the defeat for us. That will be critical for the rest of season. We lost for the first time and now we have to show how we’re going to bounce back from a negative experience. We are all raring to go for the game and want to get the three points.”

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