DFB-Pokal – that‘s exactly Daniel Caligiuri’s thing, having twice won the competition in his career. The first of his wins came in 2006 with Freiburg U19 and the second in 2015 with Wolfsburg. Next Wednesday the midfielder meets his former club Wolfsburg in the quarter-final of the DFB-Pokal. DFB.de got the chance to catch up with the 30-year-old to talk about the his love of the cup, the goosebumps he feels in the Olympic Stadium and the time when he used to have the aerial demon, Naldo, on the end of his crosses.
DFB.de: Daniel Caligiuri, you’ve said before that you love the DFB-Pokal, what is it that you love the most?
Daniel Caligiuri: Looking back, I’ve always played well in the cup, picking up goals and assists every so often. And seeing as I have already won the cup with Wolfsburg, it’s nice looking back. I always love a good cup run.
DFB.de: In 24 DFB-Pokal matches, you have scored six times and provided seven assists. Do you think you will carry on providing for Schalke?
Calgiuri: I wouldn’t mind if I kept up those good stats, especially in the quarter-final against Wolfsburg. But even if I don’t, I’m more focused on us as a team progressing to the next round.
DFB.de: In the last meeting, the two teams drew 1-1. Schalke conceded the equaliser in the third minute of injury time. Do you see the game being just as tough as last time?
Caligiuri: Yes. I think the game will be quite similar to be honest. Wolfsburg have a very strong squad, even if they have been a little inconsistent recently. We struggled in the second half of that game and just couldn’t find a way through. There, we saw the individual quality of the Wolfsburg players.
DFB.de: You played for Wolfsburg from 2013 until the end of 2016. Do you still keep in contact with players there?
Caligiuri: Out of everyone, it’s mostly with Joshua Guilavogui but also with Sebastian Jung and I do still message Mit Yunus Malli and Daniel Didavi every so often.
DFB.de: Since January 2017 you have been with Schalke. How well do you think it’s gone since there?
Caligiuri: It wasn’t great straight away because it was a huge change for me, coming to a bigger club where there is always stuff happening but everyone was so welcoming and I managed to settle in pretty quickly and I’ve only improved as I’ve gone on. I can say that I feel at home at Schalke.
DFB.de: What are the differences between Wolfsburg and Schalke?
Caligiuri: The number of fans is the main thing. Even for away matches we get a lot of people coming to watch. The fact that we are cheered on by so many fans makes all the players proud. I’m not trying to degrade Wolfsburg fans but the sheer numbers at Schalke games is the biggest difference. It’s just another level.
DFB.de: In the Bundesliga this season you’ve racked up three goals and five assists. Is the 30-year-old Daniel Caligiuri in 2018 more dangerous than ever before?
Caligiuri: I’m not so sure about that. If I remember correctly I’ve also scored seven goals in a season from my time at Wolfsburg. But we still have a few games left and I didn’t score my first goal this season until matchday 11. I’m healthy and in good form, so I think I can carry on scoring
DFB.de: Schalke find themselves above Wolfsburg in the table. Why has it been such a good season for you?
Caligiuri: The team unity. That’s been key. Everyone is fully committed and it only works because everyone gives it their all. We all help each other and that’s why we’ve been successful.
DFB.de: How much of it has been down to Domenico Tedesco?
Caligiuri: Our coach has obviously had a big part to play. The team trusts him – you can see that. Even the guys that don’t play that often still trust him. He is a good communicator and makes us tighter as a group. Since the beginning it’s been clear that he is trying to build something big here and he’s made us better as a team.
DFB.de: In terms of Leon Goretzka, a national-team player is leaving you at the end of the season to join up with Bayern Munich. What do you think of the move and how is the team dealing with it?
Caligiuri: There’s been a lot said about Leon in the media. We didn’t know about it until the news came out. As a team we’re all completely normal with him and he is with us. At the end of the day, he decided to move. He knows that he owes a lot to Schalke. Leon’s still giving his all to the team and that shows what he’s like. He gives 100% in every match and every training session.
DFB.de: Winning the DFB-Pokal would be a great send-off for Goretzka…
Caligiuri: Yeah that’s our dream. For Leon it would be the perfect way to say goodbye.
DFB.de: You have already won the DFB-Junior Pokal as an 18-year-old in 2006 with Freiburg. Back then your coach was none other than Christian Streich. Was that the start of your love for the cup?
Caligiuri: Yeah, probably. It’s always nice looking back on moments like that. Having won the trophy as an academy player, it always spurred me on to get more silverware. Now there are only two games between us and the final and we want to make sure we get there.
DFB.de: Taking a look back to the 4:1 victory you had as an U19 Freiburg player against Karlsruher SC, that game attracted 1500 fans in the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. There was a certain Lars Stindl on the pitch too, do you remember playing against him?
Caligiuri: Of course! He is the same age group as me so we have played against each other quite a few times. Freiburg against Karlsruhe is a great derby game. I remember that final well, even if things didn’t turn out so great for him that time (smiles).
DFB.de: Have you told your teammates what the atmosphere is like in a DFB-Pokal final?
Caligiuri: We’ve spoken about it a few times actually. It’s such a different experience, nothing like an away game at Hertha. It’s really special to play in front of a sell-out crowd in the Olympiastadion. The atmosphere is madness. Every footballer dreams of playing in games like that.
DFB.de: So was it a dream come true for you when you won with Wolfsburg in 2015?
Caligiuri: Definitely. That’s the biggest achievement of my career so far. It still gives me goosebumps today when I think about it.
DFB.de: What has especially stuck in your mind from that game? Is there a specific moment?
Caligiuri: If I had to nail down one moment, it would have to be in the tunnel before the game, you can feel the tension and hear the crowd. You walk out, see the cup and step onto the pitch. That is a great moment. So too when you actually lift the cup. It doesn’t really sink in what you’ve done until a few days later.
DFB.de: In the 2015 cup-winning side you also had Naldo. What was it like as a winger knowing you had someone as strong in the air as Naldo waiting in the middle?
Caligiuri: For me, Naldo is the best player in the air that I have played alongside. We still have strong players in the air in Thilo Kehrer and Matija Nastasic but Naldo is in a league of his own. If the crosses are good enough, Naldo is always there. He is hard to beat.
DFB.de: When is he the main target and when is he used to create space for others?
Caligiuri: It depends. Every situation is different and you never know till you’re actually in the moment. We know our strengths, above all with the threat we pose in the air. Then you only have to concentrate on providing good deliveries and hope that someone gets on the end of them.
DFB.de: Is there a code or secret language when you raise your hands before corners and free kicks, like volleyball players who make signs behind their backs before they serve?
Caligiuri: Nope, I don’t know anything about that (laughs).
created by mmc/dt
DFB-Pokal – that‘s exactly Daniel Caligiuri’s thing, having twice won the competition in his career. The first of his wins came in 2006 with Freiburg U19 and the second in 2015 with Wolfsburg. Next Wednesday the midfielder meets his former club Wolfsburg in the quarter-final of the DFB-Pokal. DFB.de got the chance to catch up with the 30-year-old to talk about the his love of the cup, the goosebumps he feels in the Olympic Stadium and the time when he used to have the aerial demon, Naldo, on the end of his crosses.
DFB.de: Daniel Caligiuri, you’ve said before that you love the DFB-Pokal, what is it that you love the most?
Daniel Caligiuri: Looking back, I’ve always played well in the cup, picking up goals and assists every so often. And seeing as I have already won the cup with Wolfsburg, it’s nice looking back. I always love a good cup run.
DFB.de: In 24 DFB-Pokal matches, you have scored six times and provided seven assists. Do you think you will carry on providing for Schalke?
Calgiuri: I wouldn’t mind if I kept up those good stats, especially in the quarter-final against Wolfsburg. But even if I don’t, I’m more focused on us as a team progressing to the next round.
DFB.de: In the last meeting, the two teams drew 1-1. Schalke conceded the equaliser in the third minute of injury time. Do you see the game being just as tough as last time?
Caligiuri: Yes. I think the game will be quite similar to be honest. Wolfsburg have a very strong squad, even if they have been a little inconsistent recently. We struggled in the second half of that game and just couldn’t find a way through. There, we saw the individual quality of the Wolfsburg players.
DFB.de: You played for Wolfsburg from 2013 until the end of 2016. Do you still keep in contact with players there?
Caligiuri: Out of everyone, it’s mostly with Joshua Guilavogui but also with Sebastian Jung and I do still message Mit Yunus Malli and Daniel Didavi every so often.
DFB.de: Since January 2017 you have been with Schalke. How well do you think it’s gone since there?
Caligiuri: It wasn’t great straight away because it was a huge change for me, coming to a bigger club where there is always stuff happening but everyone was so welcoming and I managed to settle in pretty quickly and I’ve only improved as I’ve gone on. I can say that I feel at home at Schalke.
DFB.de: What are the differences between Wolfsburg and Schalke?
Caligiuri: The number of fans is the main thing. Even for away matches we get a lot of people coming to watch. The fact that we are cheered on by so many fans makes all the players proud. I’m not trying to degrade Wolfsburg fans but the sheer numbers at Schalke games is the biggest difference. It’s just another level.
DFB.de: In the Bundesliga this season you’ve racked up three goals and five assists. Is the 30-year-old Daniel Caligiuri in 2018 more dangerous than ever before?
Caligiuri: I’m not so sure about that. If I remember correctly I’ve also scored seven goals in a season from my time at Wolfsburg. But we still have a few games left and I didn’t score my first goal this season until matchday 11. I’m healthy and in good form, so I think I can carry on scoring
DFB.de: Schalke find themselves above Wolfsburg in the table. Why has it been such a good season for you?
Caligiuri: The team unity. That’s been key. Everyone is fully committed and it only works because everyone gives it their all. We all help each other and that’s why we’ve been successful.
DFB.de: How much of it has been down to Domenico Tedesco?
Caligiuri: Our coach has obviously had a big part to play. The team trusts him – you can see that. Even the guys that don’t play that often still trust him. He is a good communicator and makes us tighter as a group. Since the beginning it’s been clear that he is trying to build something big here and he’s made us better as a team.
DFB.de: In terms of Leon Goretzka, a national-team player is leaving you at the end of the season to join up with Bayern Munich. What do you think of the move and how is the team dealing with it?
Caligiuri: There’s been a lot said about Leon in the media. We didn’t know about it until the news came out. As a team we’re all completely normal with him and he is with us. At the end of the day, he decided to move. He knows that he owes a lot to Schalke. Leon’s still giving his all to the team and that shows what he’s like. He gives 100% in every match and every training session.
DFB.de: Winning the DFB-Pokal would be a great send-off for Goretzka…
Caligiuri: Yeah that’s our dream. For Leon it would be the perfect way to say goodbye.
DFB.de: You have already won the DFB-Junior Pokal as an 18-year-old in 2006 with Freiburg. Back then your coach was none other than Christian Streich. Was that the start of your love for the cup?
Caligiuri: Yeah, probably. It’s always nice looking back on moments like that. Having won the trophy as an academy player, it always spurred me on to get more silverware. Now there are only two games between us and the final and we want to make sure we get there.
DFB.de: Taking a look back to the 4:1 victory you had as an U19 Freiburg player against Karlsruher SC, that game attracted 1500 fans in the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. There was a certain Lars Stindl on the pitch too, do you remember playing against him?
Caligiuri: Of course! He is the same age group as me so we have played against each other quite a few times. Freiburg against Karlsruhe is a great derby game. I remember that final well, even if things didn’t turn out so great for him that time (smiles).
DFB.de: Have you told your teammates what the atmosphere is like in a DFB-Pokal final?
Caligiuri: We’ve spoken about it a few times actually. It’s such a different experience, nothing like an away game at Hertha. It’s really special to play in front of a sell-out crowd in the Olympiastadion. The atmosphere is madness. Every footballer dreams of playing in games like that.
DFB.de: So was it a dream come true for you when you won with Wolfsburg in 2015?
Caligiuri: Definitely. That’s the biggest achievement of my career so far. It still gives me goosebumps today when I think about it.
DFB.de: What has especially stuck in your mind from that game? Is there a specific moment?
Caligiuri: If I had to nail down one moment, it would have to be in the tunnel before the game, you can feel the tension and hear the crowd. You walk out, see the cup and step onto the pitch. That is a great moment. So too when you actually lift the cup. It doesn’t really sink in what you’ve done until a few days later.
DFB.de: In the 2015 cup-winning side you also had Naldo. What was it like as a winger knowing you had someone as strong in the air as Naldo waiting in the middle?
Caligiuri: For me, Naldo is the best player in the air that I have played alongside. We still have strong players in the air in Thilo Kehrer and Matija Nastasic but Naldo is in a league of his own. If the crosses are good enough, Naldo is always there. He is hard to beat.
DFB.de: When is he the main target and when is he used to create space for others?
Caligiuri: It depends. Every situation is different and you never know till you’re actually in the moment. We know our strengths, above all with the threat we pose in the air. Then you only have to concentrate on providing good deliveries and hope that someone gets on the end of them.
DFB.de: Is there a code or secret language when you raise your hands before corners and free kicks, like volleyball players who make signs behind their backs before they serve?
Caligiuri: Nope, I don’t know anything about that (laughs).
