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Mats Hummels has had a convincing European championship tournament so far, teaming up with Holger Badstuber to form the centre pairing of Germany’s back four in four matches to date. With just a few days to before the semi-final against Italy in Warsaw, Mats met DFB.de writer Steffen Lüdeke to talk about his role in the national team, words of praise from experts, and his partner in central defence.
DFB.de: Mats, in a recent training session, you hit a lovely long ball with the outside of your foot that landed right at Mesut Özil’s feet, prompting the head coach to shout a spontaneous “Well done, Mats!” Could you believe your ears?
Mats Hummels: (laughs) If such a pass reaches its destination and results in a goal, then everything’s fine, but woe betide the player who hits long balls into no-man’s-land… But while we’re at it, I think I’ve played a mere four such balls throughout the tournament, and at any rate they’re not an end in themselves for me. I only ever do them when required, and when this is the right thing to do at that specific point in time. I know how the coach wants us to keep balls low.
DFB.de: Does the coach know that Mats Hummels the national team player sometimes needs to play like Mats Hummels the Dortmund player?
Hummels: In actual fact, the two teams play fairly similar systems; in percentage terms I’d say they’re only two percent apart. Basically, almost everything I’m allowed to do at Dortmund, I can also do here.
DFB.de: You’ve won a lot of acclaim at national and international level, with even Zinedine Zidane singing your praises; how would you rate your own performance?
Hummels: In a word – I’m on a roll, and I’m very happy to have been able to do my bit for the team’s success. There’s little more you could wish for at the moment. Joachim Löw told me in a private talk that he’s very satisfied with the job I’ve been doing, and obviously that has worked wonders for my self-confidence. For Zidane to say he’s impressed – well, that’s the greatest compliment! He was my role model, I just loved to see him play, and I used to try and imitate his moves when I was young. I think he was by far the best footballer of his generation.
DFB.de: In Germany’s first group match against Portugal, you did look a little tense at first; has this got any better?
Hummels: Definitely. There were still some pre-match nerves against the Dutch, but since then, with the matches against Denmark and Greece, it’s been a normal case of hoping I’ll be up to the challenge.
DFB.de: At a tournament, almost every decision a coach takes for any particular player means deciding against a team-mate; how has Per Mertesacker dealt with a role he’s not used to playing, sitting on the substitutes’ bench?
Hummels: In the most impeccable way. I know how he feels, as I was in pretty much the same situation at the U21 European championship in 2009. It’s not so bad on non-match days, but when everybody gets on the bus and you drive to the stadium, there’s nothing but disappointment and you feel a big void. But Per is an outstanding personality; he pulls his weight in training, adding quality to the side, and preparing himself the same way as if he were to start matches.
DFB.de: A lot has been written about your relationship to Holger Badstuber; some say you’re best friends, but if other articles are to be believed, the exact opposite is the case…
Hummels: Yes, I’ve seen the weirdest stories. The truth is we get along just fine, just as I do with everybody else. Obviously, I have a little more in common with my club team-mates, simply because we tend to spend more time together, but to say that there are ‘negative vibes’ between Holger and me is absolute rubbish.
DFB.de: You’re a leader at Dortmund; what is your role with the German national team?
Hummels: I’d say that it’s only logical for me to take more of a back seat here as there are many more older players who’ve been around much longer - Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Lukas Podolski have a huge number of caps between them. I have the greatest respect for what they’ve achieved, so I’m not going to make any leadership claims.
DFB.de: You’ve said that you love those special moments when you can hear the audience react to a successful pass or move. For you, that special moment came in the 85th minute of the match against Greece, a scene involving a certain Georgios Samaras...
Hummels: To be honest, I was mad at myself that I had to risk such a tackle in the first place. I had moved in the wrong direction and sensed he was going past, and I just hated myself at that moment because any faster player would have been up and away, beyond reach. I was fortunate to prevent him from finishing, but tackling opponents in your own penalty box, that’s got to be the last resort.
DFB.de: You’re just coming back from what was the last training session here at the team base camp in Gdansk. Can you take stock of the story so far?
Hummels: Except for the weather, everything went according to plan. We had everything we needed. We players agree that time has literally flown by. It’s been the fastest three weeks ever!
DFB.de: Did you watch the Italy vs. England quarter-final match?
Hummels: Yes, and I’d say Italy more than deserved to go through, even though they left it much later than necessary. I know that we’re in for a tough challenge.
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DFB.de: Were you surprised to see Italy play such attacking football?
Hummels: I’d put it the other way round and say that England offered precious little up front; even when they were in possession, they didn’t get enough men in the box. But you’ve got to project some sense of urgency, of posing a real threat, especially when you play against a team like Italy who quickly find you out, and once they feel they’ve got a grip on the game, it gets even tougher.
DFB.de: Have Italy surprised you at this tournament? They did have some problems in the run-up to the event, after all…
Hummels: I admit they did not figure in my personal top three, but now I know I was wrong. We’ll be meeting an opponent who’s absolutely on a par with us in terms of everything. In fact, I think they superior to Spain in their group match and just got better and better. They strike a very good balance between offence and defence, and in midfielders Montolivo, Pirlo, and de Rossi they have superb technicians who also track back and defend. Especially Pirlo will be a key player to watch.
DFB.de: In Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano, Italy have two extraordinary forwards…
Hummels: There is no doubt that they are top-class strikers, up in the same league as the likes of van Persie, Nani, or Ronaldo. We’ll be prepared, approaching the game with the same concentration as always. We’re not afraid. We must play as intelligently as possible, with the whole team putting pressure on their creative midfielders, denying them the space they want, and preventing them from gaining the upper hand.
DFB.de: It’s been six years since Germany and Italy last met in a decisive match; you were a teenager then. Where did you watch the game?
Hummels: Some friends and I were in a packed-to-capacity Bavarian beer garden, watching the match on a big screen. It was “only a football match”, as they say, but on the night that defeat felt like a real catastrophe. Everybody was devastated; the World Cup dream was over. But having said that, I don’t expect the two nations’ history to have even the slightest effect on Thursday’s match. All it proves is that over time, Italy have always had an excellent team that’s hard to beat.
created by sl
[bild1]
Mats Hummels has had a convincing European championship tournament so far, teaming up with Holger Badstuber to form the centre pairing of Germany’s back four in four matches to date. With just a few days to before the semi-final against Italy in Warsaw, Mats met DFB.de writer Steffen Lüdeke to talk about his role in the national team, words of praise from experts, and his partner in central defence.
DFB.de: Mats, in a recent training session, you hit a lovely long ball with the outside of your foot that landed right at Mesut Özil’s feet, prompting the head coach to shout a spontaneous “Well done, Mats!” Could you believe your ears?
Mats Hummels: (laughs) If such a pass reaches its destination and results in a goal, then everything’s fine, but woe betide the player who hits long balls into no-man’s-land… But while we’re at it, I think I’ve played a mere four such balls throughout the tournament, and at any rate they’re not an end in themselves for me. I only ever do them when required, and when this is the right thing to do at that specific point in time. I know how the coach wants us to keep balls low.
DFB.de: Does the coach know that Mats Hummels the national team player sometimes needs to play like Mats Hummels the Dortmund player?
Hummels: In actual fact, the two teams play fairly similar systems; in percentage terms I’d say they’re only two percent apart. Basically, almost everything I’m allowed to do at Dortmund, I can also do here.
DFB.de: You’ve won a lot of acclaim at national and international level, with even Zinedine Zidane singing your praises; how would you rate your own performance?
Hummels: In a word – I’m on a roll, and I’m very happy to have been able to do my bit for the team’s success. There’s little more you could wish for at the moment. Joachim Löw told me in a private talk that he’s very satisfied with the job I’ve been doing, and obviously that has worked wonders for my self-confidence. For Zidane to say he’s impressed – well, that’s the greatest compliment! He was my role model, I just loved to see him play, and I used to try and imitate his moves when I was young. I think he was by far the best footballer of his generation.
DFB.de: In Germany’s first group match against Portugal, you did look a little tense at first; has this got any better?
Hummels: Definitely. There were still some pre-match nerves against the Dutch, but since then, with the matches against Denmark and Greece, it’s been a normal case of hoping I’ll be up to the challenge.
DFB.de: At a tournament, almost every decision a coach takes for any particular player means deciding against a team-mate; how has Per Mertesacker dealt with a role he’s not used to playing, sitting on the substitutes’ bench?
Hummels: In the most impeccable way. I know how he feels, as I was in pretty much the same situation at the U21 European championship in 2009. It’s not so bad on non-match days, but when everybody gets on the bus and you drive to the stadium, there’s nothing but disappointment and you feel a big void. But Per is an outstanding personality; he pulls his weight in training, adding quality to the side, and preparing himself the same way as if he were to start matches.
DFB.de: A lot has been written about your relationship to Holger Badstuber; some say you’re best friends, but if other articles are to be believed, the exact opposite is the case…
Hummels: Yes, I’ve seen the weirdest stories. The truth is we get along just fine, just as I do with everybody else. Obviously, I have a little more in common with my club team-mates, simply because we tend to spend more time together, but to say that there are ‘negative vibes’ between Holger and me is absolute rubbish.
DFB.de: You’re a leader at Dortmund; what is your role with the German national team?
Hummels: I’d say that it’s only logical for me to take more of a back seat here as there are many more older players who’ve been around much longer - Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Lukas Podolski have a huge number of caps between them. I have the greatest respect for what they’ve achieved, so I’m not going to make any leadership claims.
DFB.de: You’ve said that you love those special moments when you can hear the audience react to a successful pass or move. For you, that special moment came in the 85th minute of the match against Greece, a scene involving a certain Georgios Samaras...
Hummels: To be honest, I was mad at myself that I had to risk such a tackle in the first place. I had moved in the wrong direction and sensed he was going past, and I just hated myself at that moment because any faster player would have been up and away, beyond reach. I was fortunate to prevent him from finishing, but tackling opponents in your own penalty box, that’s got to be the last resort.
DFB.de: You’re just coming back from what was the last training session here at the team base camp in Gdansk. Can you take stock of the story so far?
Hummels: Except for the weather, everything went according to plan. We had everything we needed. We players agree that time has literally flown by. It’s been the fastest three weeks ever!
DFB.de: Did you watch the Italy vs. England quarter-final match?
Hummels: Yes, and I’d say Italy more than deserved to go through, even though they left it much later than necessary. I know that we’re in for a tough challenge.
[bild2]
DFB.de: Were you surprised to see Italy play such attacking football?
Hummels: I’d put it the other way round and say that England offered precious little up front; even when they were in possession, they didn’t get enough men in the box. But you’ve got to project some sense of urgency, of posing a real threat, especially when you play against a team like Italy who quickly find you out, and once they feel they’ve got a grip on the game, it gets even tougher.
DFB.de: Have Italy surprised you at this tournament? They did have some problems in the run-up to the event, after all…
Hummels: I admit they did not figure in my personal top three, but now I know I was wrong. We’ll be meeting an opponent who’s absolutely on a par with us in terms of everything. In fact, I think they superior to Spain in their group match and just got better and better. They strike a very good balance between offence and defence, and in midfielders Montolivo, Pirlo, and de Rossi they have superb technicians who also track back and defend. Especially Pirlo will be a key player to watch.
DFB.de: In Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano, Italy have two extraordinary forwards…
Hummels: There is no doubt that they are top-class strikers, up in the same league as the likes of van Persie, Nani, or Ronaldo. We’ll be prepared, approaching the game with the same concentration as always. We’re not afraid. We must play as intelligently as possible, with the whole team putting pressure on their creative midfielders, denying them the space they want, and preventing them from gaining the upper hand.
DFB.de: It’s been six years since Germany and Italy last met in a decisive match; you were a teenager then. Where did you watch the game?
Hummels: Some friends and I were in a packed-to-capacity Bavarian beer garden, watching the match on a big screen. It was “only a football match”, as they say, but on the night that defeat felt like a real catastrophe. Everybody was devastated; the World Cup dream was over. But having said that, I don’t expect the two nations’ history to have even the slightest effect on Thursday’s match. All it proves is that over time, Italy have always had an excellent team that’s hard to beat.
