Interview

“We haven’t reached our target just yet but we are close”

Club captain Sebastian Schonlau spoke to HSV.de about the mindset ahead of facing Ulm, this year’s key to success and nearing the team’s primary target.

HSV.de: Bascho, a win on Saturday would see the club achieve its long-term aim, namely promotion back to the Bundesliga. Can you describe the feeling in camp at the start of this week’s training?

Sebastian Schonlau: The whole club, the fans and the players have been working towards this for some time. There is great excitement, noticeable when talking to anyone here, or to anyone in the city about HSV. We are no longer saying, “hopefully things go out way next year,” rather, “this year is our time.” On the whole, it feels good to have our fate in our own hands and to be able to decide things for ourselves. Obviously, we’ve been in the situation in the past when a win or even a draw against Hertha would have been enough in the relegation play-off, but now we found ourselves able to realise our goal within the regular season. We have two matches left in which we can achieve this target with a win and will approach these will full confidence.

The finishing line is in sight. However, at the same time, 90 minutes against a tough opponent fighting for survival await. What do you expect from the clash?

There is just one final step to take but we cannot simply be thinking about the possibility of promotion, rather what we need to do in order to achieve it. Therefore, working on our plan to tackle Ulm is top priority this week. We want to train intensely while feeding off the energy we possess right now. It’s simple really – we want to take all three points from this match with SSV Ulm and that is what we need to focus on doing. Everything else will then fall into place.

Do you believe that all the players are on the same wavelength in terms of going about things, or do you as captain have to try and instil this type of mentality?

I think the one-and-a-half days we had off at the start of the week did us some good in order to be able to celebrate the win in Darmstadt. This is a long journey that we are on and if you reach certain milestones like last weekend’s success, then you are allowed to enjoy it somewhat and not have to focus on the next match right away, which is important mentally. The Darmstadt game is behind us now, though, and everyone knows what the job at hand is. The leadership group will ensure that training sessions retain the same level of intensity as is currently present, because everyone shares the knowledge that we haven’t reached our target just yet but we are close.

"This season has demonstrated what a stable team we are"

Due to receiving your fifth yellow card of the season in Darmstadt, you will have to watch from the stands during the next fixture. Honestly, how much does it hurt to miss this game in which promotion could be clinched, towards which you have worked so hard over the last four years?

It is obviously tough to take. I have always known that HSV would be promoted at some point because that was the aim from the moment I arrived here. However, when you imagine this moment, you picture yourself out on the pitch and not sat by the bench. Nevertheless, that is not important, since it is about the team and not me personally.

What will your role be then on Saturday?

I will be as close to the action as possible, joining the lads in the locker room. I will definitely also have a talk with one or two before things get going. Besides that, my task is to fuel the boys with added energy and provide them with the best support I can. I cannot and should not do any more than that. This entire season has demonstrated what a stable team we are on and not one that is so dependent on individual players, as has perhaps been the case in years gone by. I will offer some words of encouragement, but it is up to the lads to do their job on the pitch and that is what they will do.

Merlin Polzin has reiterated the value of togetherness since he took over the reins and emphasised that each player needs to be unified in the pursuit of the team’s primary target in order to be free of personal concerns. To what extent has that been the key to success this year?

It always seems a bit silly to say, but we really have functioned as a team this year. Everyone is focused on the collective group. No one is off doing their own thing and no one creates any kind of negativity, rather everyone is unified in working towards our overarching goal. This puts us in the best position to achieve success and means that it is not decisive whether I am on the pitch at the weekend in order for us to hopefully win and therefore seal promotion. We and I have given too much over the last four years not to achieve this now and we simply want to get over the line.

You speak about investing a lot as well as the ups and downs throughout the years. How have you dealt with your personal journey this season, including losing your starting spot in the second half of the campaign and having to watch from the sidelines?

It is obviously not what I had pictured and not what I was working towards during the winter break but there are a number of factors for that happening. We all know how quickly things can change in football. Nevertheless, I have never lost sight of my responsibilities and remained intent on going about things in the same manner, regardless of whether I am playing right now or not. It would be rather ironic to reiterate the importance of the collective above all then throw a fit when things start to drop off for you personally. If I did that then I would be chucking away my work of the last three-and-a-half years somewhat. It was certainly tough to take and I had to do a bit of thinking but I remain aware of my role within the team and try to perform this to best of my ability.

What kind of thoughts did you have while dealing with this transition?

I learned a lot about myself during those few weeks. When things are going well for you then you don’t have to focus on thinking about the collective group so much. You live more in the moment, just trying to play your part and things tend to come a bit easier. If you drop off to an extent, then other thoughts creep in. I asked myself who I am besides the footballer, since my job obviously forms a major part of my personality. I realised that the way in which I respond to setbacks is what really characterises me. Those are the sorts of thoughts that went through my mind.

With regard to this context, how nice was it then to be able to play a decent chunk of the match in Darmstadt? To what extent was the game also an example of the team’s togetherness?

The match was important for disbanding any pressure that had built following three straight matches in which we had not performed so well. In Darmstadt, things did not get off the best of starts but we then implemented our match plan effectively and showed a readiness to fight and defend. That was incredible to see. The game showcased exactly that which has characterised us this year, that the entire team has given it their all in pursuit of success, even those who did not feature from the off. I really felt that, since I was able to make a significant contribution after being substituted on.

"This the fixture that every one of us has been working towards"

Things had gone rather differently a week beforehand, though. According to your teammates, however, you were nevertheless able to find the right words following the 2-1 defeat in the previous home fixture against KSC. What was your message to the players?

It was obviously a tricky one to contend with, since no one had envisioned the game going that way. Everyone had arrived at the ground with a rather different mindset and expectation. It was important to me to reiterate that we would achieve our goal regardless, even if spirits were low at that moment in time. I wanted to emphasise that despite our disappointment, setbacks are a part of football and one setback is not going to derail us.

What message will you now deliver to the boys this coming Saturday?

This the fixture that every one of us has been working towards. We have one final step to make to get over the line and it’s an exciting one. The message will be that each member of this team has given so much in pursuit of our collective goal, and we simply now need to get the job done. We will do that with great anticipation and full of energy