19-year-old Benjamin Henrichs is on a good run. Last season he made ten Bundesliga appearances for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. At the U19 European Championships this summer, he was once again one of the standout players for Germany and has now been rewarded with the golden Fritz-Walter-Medal.
DFB.de: Mr. Henrichs, would agree that you are playing for the Bundesliga team with the strongest bench?
Benjamin Henrichs: Yes, one could say that. At Leverkusen we have an extremely deep squad and we’re going to be there or thereabouts this season.
DFB.de: During the international break most Leverkusen players are on the road with their national teams. As a young player, don't you sometimes think you could've chosen an easier route?
Henrichs: Officially this is my first year as a professional and naturally I'm happy that we have such a strong squad. As a young player I actually profit from that. I'm able to train with so many top players - it's simply a lot of fun.
DFB.de: What are your goals this season?
Henrichs: I want to follow up on my performances from last season. I played the full game in four of the last five league games. I didn't set myself a certain number of games I want to appear in, but obviously I want to play as much as possible.
DFB.de: How is your relationship with fellow full back Wendell?
19-year-old Benjamin Henrichs is on a good run. Last season he made ten Bundesliga appearances for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. At the U19 European Championships this summer, he was once again one of the standout players for Germany and has now been rewarded with the golden Fritz-Walter-Medal.
DFB.de: Mr. Henrichs, would agree that you are playing for the Bundesliga team with the strongest bench?
Benjamin Henrichs: Yes, one could say that. At Leverkusen we have an extremely deep squad and we’re going to be there or thereabouts this season.
DFB.de: During the international break most Leverkusen players are on the road with their national teams. As a young player, don't you sometimes think you could've chosen an easier route?
Henrichs: Officially this is my first year as a professional and naturally I'm happy that we have such a strong squad. As a young player I actually profit from that. I'm able to train with so many top players - it's simply a lot of fun.
DFB.de: What are your goals this season?
Henrichs: I want to follow up on my performances from last season. I played the full game in four of the last five league games. I didn't set myself a certain number of games I want to appear in, but obviously I want to play as much as possible.
DFB.de: How is your relationship with fellow full back Wendell?
Henrichs: We have a collegial relationship. No matter what flank I'm playing on, my colleagues always are a great help. Wendell always gives me tips and takes care of me. Fact is, I've played every position apart from centre back and keeper. Obviously that's an advantage, because our coach can deploy me in different positions. I still don't expect that I will make many appearances in midfield this season, especially because Bayer 04 have a lot of good players in that area. But at left back we only have Wendell and myself. The plan is that I will play as a full back.
DFB.de: What have you learned from coach Roger Schmidt so far?
Henrichs: He talks to me a lot. He gives me a lot of feedback and we discussed a video analysis. He was the one who played me as a full back in the first place. I made ten Bundesliga appearances as a full back last season, although I was U19 player. I'm thankful for Roger Schmidt and his idea.
DFB.de: How many days were you given off between the U19 European Championship and the pre-season preparations with your club?
Henrichs: I was given one weekend off but I had a month of holiday right before the tournament.
DFB.de: In the first game of the tournament, you dominated Italy, who went on to lift the cup, for long spells but lost and in the end you came in fifth. Having had some time to look back: What went wrong?
Henrichs: The game against Italy was immediately the crucial point. When you have 15 shots on goal and your opponent only two, one of them being from the penalty spot, it really says a lot. Against Portugal we made some individual mistakes unfortunately and then we were out of the tournament. In our third group game against Austria we finally rewarded ourselves. Against the Netherlands we never gave up and thankfully we managed to win and qualify for the World Cup.
DFB.de: How high was your heart rate before taking the twelfth penalty?
Henrichs: I have to admit, it was quite high. I'm very happy that the ball went in and that we are able to go to South Korea.
DFB.de: Do you like taking penalties?
Henrichs: I wasn't among the first five takers and that's basically an answer in itself. But someone had to take on the responsibility at that point.
DFB.de: You were crowned as the best junior player of the year and in Mönchengladbach you received the golden Fritz-Walter-Medal. What does this honour mean for you?
Henrichs: It's the best award a young player can get. Höwedes, Ginter, Rüdiger, Tah - looking at my direct predecessors I immediately know I have a tough act to follow. I'm very happy about the award and I can promise you that I won't ease off.
