Training Camp
06.01.22
"Taking responsibility is not unusual for me".
In the HSV.de interview, Sonny Kittel talks about his role in the young team, his understanding of responsibility and the added value of the winter training camp in Spain on his 29th birthday.
Spending his birthday in the winter training camp is not a rarity for Sonny Kittel. The technically skilled playmaker has been playing professional football for more than a decade, so being serenaded by his teammates on 6 January is already a cherished habit. Today, too, the HSV ten-man was celebrated at the breakfast table, after which Kittel trained individually in the weight room. One day before his 29th birthday, the midfielder took the time to talk to the HSV.de editorial team about the relevant Rothosen topics aside from his birthday. Why he is one of the leading players in the young team, not only because of his age, what role the eight-man position plays in this development and what added value the training camp in Sotogrande offers for the rest of the second half of the season, all this was explained by a self-confident Sonny Kittel in a detailed interview.
Sonny, you went into the winter break third in the table and a DFB Cup round of 16 finalist. What development within the team has impressed you the most in the past six months?
We adopted the system of play, which is not necessarily common, very quickly and implemented it well as a young team. In addition, we were able to adequately replace all the absentees, because even before the injury-related changes, everyone pulled together. Then, of course, it's easier when you're thrown in.
You mention the average age of the team, which you are pushing up a bit with your 29th birthday. How do you perceive the atmosphere in the very young team?
Unfortunately, I'm really one of the older guys now. (laughs) But the atmosphere is really good, it's a lot of fun. For me, it's an exciting thing that I can now be a role model and a leader. It is my aspiration that the younger players can pull themselves up from me and orientate themselves.
Did you have any plans in this respect in the summer or did it just happen?
I have always thought about how I would like to perform as an older player and now it has just come about. I would like to build on that now.
What role does your daughter, who was born in May 2020, play in this context
She certainly has a certain part to play, but I also had to take responsibility for my younger brother early on in my youth, so it's not an unusual situation for me now. This leader has always been in me, yet I remain the way I am.
Is this development also due to the fact that you've been playing in the eight position since the middle of the first half of the season and can therefore exert more influence on your team-mates in the centre of the game?
You could say that. In the centre you are more involved in the game and have more ball actions. I enjoy the role, although I can still play in all the other attacking positions. But from the eight, I can put the other boys in the limelight even better, which is also very important for my self-confidence.
You are currently preparing for the rest of the second half of the season in Sotogrande. How important do you consider the time together in Spain?
As always, the value of the training camp can only be judged in the future. But we have very good conditions here, both climatically and in the hotel and on the courts. Our goal is to become even closer here.
Will that be the key to being consistently successful in the rest of the second half of the season
We have to continue on the same path as a team as we did in the first half of the season. To do that, it's important that we continue to stick together and support each other. In the past, the individual quality was perhaps rated higher, but you can see now that we are still playing good football and, above all, that we are convincing as a collective. That should make us feel positive. The aim must always be to improve from training to training and from game to game. That's the right path and that's where we are now.