Christoph Kramer was in a good mood after Leverkusen’s 3-1 win over Hannover on Saturday. The Bayer 04 Leverkusen midfielder had a big smile on his face as he was walking through the BayArena’s mixed zone, giving team mate Ömer Toprak a friendly clap on the back as he was walking by.
The World Cup winner spoke to DFB.de after the final whistle about the next few games, Chicharito and Stefan Kießling as well as his plans for Sunday afternoon.
Question: Was the first half tough?
Christoph Kramer: Yes, definitely. But we did play better than last week in Hoffenheim. We have struggled against sides that sit back in recent weeks so we decided to be more direct, which allowed us to attack the second balls. We’ve done this well in recent weeks and it worked again today.
Question: Leverkusen are now in fourth place. All you have to do now is defend that position, right?
Kramer: Obviously it’s great that we are now in fourth place, but we should have got here quicker though. We certainly want to finish in the top four, but there are no easy games in the Bundesliga. We will have to work hard to maintain this position.
Question: You face Bayern and Dortmund in the coming weeks. That’s going to be tough…
Kramer: Of course it will be, but most teams lose against them so if we take anything from either game than that’s a bonus and who knows, such points could be crucial at the end of the season. We’ll do all we can to get something out of those games.
Christoph Kramer was in a good mood after Leverkusen’s 3-1 win over Hannover on Saturday. The Bayer 04 Leverkusen midfielder had a big smile on his face as he was walking through the BayArena’s mixed zone, giving team mate Ömer Toprak a friendly clap on the back as he was walking by.
The World Cup winner spoke to DFB.de after the final whistle about the next few games, Chicharito and Stefan Kießling as well as his plans for Sunday afternoon.
Question: Was the first half tough?
Christoph Kramer: Yes, definitely. But we did play better than last week in Hoffenheim. We have struggled against sides that sit back in recent weeks so we decided to be more direct, which allowed us to attack the second balls. We’ve done this well in recent weeks and it worked again today.
Question: Leverkusen are now in fourth place. All you have to do now is defend that position, right?
Kramer: Obviously it’s great that we are now in fourth place, but we should have got here quicker though. We certainly want to finish in the top four, but there are no easy games in the Bundesliga. We will have to work hard to maintain this position.
Question: You face Bayern and Dortmund in the coming weeks. That’s going to be tough…
Kramer: Of course it will be, but most teams lose against them so if we take anything from either game than that’s a bonus and who knows, such points could be crucial at the end of the season. We’ll do all we can to get something out of those games.
Question: Chicharito and Kießling are in form now, what do you make of their partnership?
Kramer: Well it’s funny because a few weeks ago people were saying we couldn’t score yet now they’re praising our deadly duo! They’re both great strikers. They play the game differently but it suits our style for sure. I hope they keep up the good form, but I don’t want to pressurise them by giving them a label!
Question: How are you going to spend your Sunday afternoon? Will you take in the Handball European Championship final or will you be watching Bayern ahead of the upcoming clash?
Kramer: I will be watching the Handball final. I’ll see enough of Bayern over the coming days.
