After picking up two yellow cards in FC Bayern Munich’s UEFA-Champions League campaign this season, Holger Badstuber was out of contention for the final in the Munich arena. For Bayern’s centre-back, being condemned to watching from the stands was a role he found extremely hard to accept.
Now, he is all the more looking forward to the UEFA European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. Badstuber talked to DFB.de writer Steffen Lüdeke about the development he has taken as a player and a person, and whether losing in the “home final” might yield something positive after all.
team.dfb.de: Holger, on Monday the German team arrived here at the DFB team base camp, the Dwor Oliwski hotel near Gdansk. How do you like it, what are your first impressions of Poland?
Holger Badstuber: It’s a beautiful place offering top-of-the-range facilities, with an excellent training pitch practically next door. And we’ve got the hotel to ourselves, which means we have all the peace and quiet we need to concentrate on the tasks lying ahead.
team.dfb.de: What you didn’t have to yourselves was the stadium for yesterday’s open training session, with some 10,000 spectators showing up. A surprise?
Badstuber: Yes, I wouldn’t have thought that so many people would come to watch what was essentially a routine training session. For me, it was a source of motivation, because it shows you how great interest is in the German team, that people expect a lot from us and are eager to show their support. And that gives us players an extra edge.
team.dfb.de: On behalf of the German national team, captain Philipp Lahm, head coach Löw, manager Bierhoff, DFB President Niersbach and League President Rauball visited the Auschwitz memorial site. Have you personally ever dealt with the issue in any way?
Badstuber: Yes, Auschwitz will always be a part of German history. I absolutely approve of Philipp being part of that delegation, and asked him about his impressions. I want to know what it’s like there, and what visitors think and feel when leaving the site. Because I can well imagine going there myself sometime if there is a chance.
team.dfb.de: You were one of the rookies in 2010, now you’re a regular. How would you describe the progress you’ve made over the past 24 months?
Badstuber: I would call it a perfectly normal development. I’m two years older now, a more mature person both on and off the pitch. The World Cup in South Africa was my first big tournament, now I’m much more experienced. And the best thing is that I’m likely to actually start in my favourite position – as centre-back.
team.dfb.de: For fans and experts alike, the question no longer seems to be whether you play, but who is to play alongside you…
Badstuber: To be honest, I’m not interested in that kind of debate. At the end of the day, it’s up to the coach to decide who’s on the pitch on Saturday evening. Obviously, everybody wants to play, the race for places has been on for some time. We have great strength in depth, with basically two equally good players for every position. Overall, I’d say we’re quite a homogeneous squad, you can see that in training. Everybody goes full steam ahead, but competition is never unfair.
team.dfb.de: How decisive would it be to begin the tournament on a high?
Badstuber: All you’ve got to do is look at our group to realize that we just must not slip up! We will approach the game by giving 100 per cent. We’re fully motivated and know that there’s a lot at stake from the word ‘Go!’. Which is just the way I want it to be, I like meeting my challenges head-on. It may work to our favour later on in the tournament.
team.dfb.de: There’s been a lot of talk about Bayern losing the Champions League final. Did not being actively involved make it in any easier for you to digest the defeat?
Badstuber: Well, I may have watched the match from a different perspective, but that didn’t make it any easier! Like everybody else, at first I spent a great deal of time thinking about the way those 120 minutes unravelled, and what the reasons for our defeat may have been. But that’s pretty normal and even right when you give your heart’s-blood to a cause. But that’s water under the bridge now. There’s a new task, a new project, a new objective. We’ve got to look ahead, and the good thing is that our hunger to win a trophy has got even bigger. There’s nothing like a little pent-up rage! (laughs)
team.dfb.de: Yes, but rage can also make you blind…
Badstuber: That’s correct, so we’ve got to convert this into positive energy. It’s no use running around like headless chickens or getting all tense. I’m sure we’ll find the right approach.
team.dfb.de: When asked about likely tournament winners, people keep mentioning Spain and Germany. Do you share their view?
Badstuber: I think that France are a team to be reckoned with. Since the 2010 World Cup, their style has undergone a lot of changes, you can clearly see the new coach’s influence. There’s great team spirit and a whole lot of excellent individual players. For me, France are definitely in the race for the title.
team.dfb.de: Final question – what will you be doing on 2 July 2012?
Badstuber: Well, ideally I’m relaxing somewhere, smiling to myself and re-living the moment when I lifted the Euro 2012 trophy….
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After picking up two yellow cards in FC Bayern Munich’s UEFA-Champions League campaign this season, Holger Badstuber was out of contention for the final in the Munich arena. For Bayern’s centre-back, being condemned to watching from the stands was a role he found extremely hard to accept.
Now, he is all the more looking forward to the UEFA European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. Badstuber talked to DFB.de writer Steffen Lüdeke about the development he has taken as a player and a person, and whether losing in the “home final” might yield something positive after all.
team.dfb.de: Holger, on Monday the German team arrived here at the DFB team base camp, the Dwor Oliwski hotel near Gdansk. How do you like it, what are your first impressions of Poland?
Holger Badstuber: It’s a beautiful place offering top-of-the-range facilities, with an excellent training pitch practically next door. And we’ve got the hotel to ourselves, which means we have all the peace and quiet we need to concentrate on the tasks lying ahead.
team.dfb.de: What you didn’t have to yourselves was the stadium for yesterday’s open training session, with some 10,000 spectators showing up. A surprise?
Badstuber: Yes, I wouldn’t have thought that so many people would come to watch what was essentially a routine training session. For me, it was a source of motivation, because it shows you how great interest is in the German team, that people expect a lot from us and are eager to show their support. And that gives us players an extra edge.
team.dfb.de: On behalf of the German national team, captain Philipp Lahm, head coach Löw, manager Bierhoff, DFB President Niersbach and League President Rauball visited the Auschwitz memorial site. Have you personally ever dealt with the issue in any way?
Badstuber: Yes, Auschwitz will always be a part of German history. I absolutely approve of Philipp being part of that delegation, and asked him about his impressions. I want to know what it’s like there, and what visitors think and feel when leaving the site. Because I can well imagine going there myself sometime if there is a chance.
team.dfb.de: You were one of the rookies in 2010, now you’re a regular. How would you describe the progress you’ve made over the past 24 months?
Badstuber: I would call it a perfectly normal development. I’m two years older now, a more mature person both on and off the pitch. The World Cup in South Africa was my first big tournament, now I’m much more experienced. And the best thing is that I’m likely to actually start in my favourite position – as centre-back.
team.dfb.de: For fans and experts alike, the question no longer seems to be whether you play, but who is to play alongside you…
Badstuber: To be honest, I’m not interested in that kind of debate. At the end of the day, it’s up to the coach to decide who’s on the pitch on Saturday evening. Obviously, everybody wants to play, the race for places has been on for some time. We have great strength in depth, with basically two equally good players for every position. Overall, I’d say we’re quite a homogeneous squad, you can see that in training. Everybody goes full steam ahead, but competition is never unfair.
team.dfb.de: How decisive would it be to begin the tournament on a high?
Badstuber: All you’ve got to do is look at our group to realize that we just must not slip up! We will approach the game by giving 100 per cent. We’re fully motivated and know that there’s a lot at stake from the word ‘Go!’. Which is just the way I want it to be, I like meeting my challenges head-on. It may work to our favour later on in the tournament.
team.dfb.de: There’s been a lot of talk about Bayern losing the Champions League final. Did not being actively involved make it in any easier for you to digest the defeat?
Badstuber: Well, I may have watched the match from a different perspective, but that didn’t make it any easier! Like everybody else, at first I spent a great deal of time thinking about the way those 120 minutes unravelled, and what the reasons for our defeat may have been. But that’s pretty normal and even right when you give your heart’s-blood to a cause. But that’s water under the bridge now. There’s a new task, a new project, a new objective. We’ve got to look ahead, and the good thing is that our hunger to win a trophy has got even bigger. There’s nothing like a little pent-up rage! (laughs)
[bild2]
team.dfb.de: Yes, but rage can also make you blind…
Badstuber: That’s correct, so we’ve got to convert this into positive energy. It’s no use running around like headless chickens or getting all tense. I’m sure we’ll find the right approach.
team.dfb.de: When asked about likely tournament winners, people keep mentioning Spain and Germany. Do you share their view?
Badstuber: I think that France are a team to be reckoned with. Since the 2010 World Cup, their style has undergone a lot of changes, you can clearly see the new coach’s influence. There’s great team spirit and a whole lot of excellent individual players. For me, France are definitely in the race for the title.
team.dfb.de: Final question – what will you be doing on 2 July 2012?
Badstuber: Well, ideally I’m relaxing somewhere, smiling to myself and re-living the moment when I lifted the Euro 2012 trophy….
