Nico Schlotterbeck plays in central defence for SC Freiburg and has recently been called up to the Germany Men’s national team. In an interview with dfb.de, the 21-year-old discussed Freiburg’s upcoming match in the second round of the DFB-Pokal away to VfL Osnabrück on Tuesday (20:45 CEST), his fight for a place in the team with his brother and his experience from being in the national team squad.
DFB.de: Mr. Schlotterbeck, how dangerous will it be if Freiburg of the Bundesliga underestimate VfL Osnabrück, who currently play in the 3. Liga?
Nico Schlotterbeck: We absolutely will not underestimate them. But the danger that we may get knocked out still remains, of course. Osnabrück have made a very positive start to their season in the 3. Liga and they’ll have plenty of supporters singing their name on Tuesday. I’ve never actually played at their stadium, but I’ve seen on TV just how loud and brutal the atmosphere can be there. We need to be mindful but also play our own game. If we can do that, our quality should see us through.
DFB.de: Are you aware that in your spells at SC Freiburg and Union Berlin, you are yet to make it past the second round of the DFB-Pokal?
Schlotterbeck: Yes, I’m aware. Two years ago I was knocked out of the second round of the cup with Freiburg against Union Berlin, and last season when I was at Union Berlin, we were defeated by SC Paderborn, so of course I’m aiming to get at least one round further this time. It would be nice to get drawn against a really strong opponent at some stage so that we could be outsiders for once.
DFB.de: You had a bit more success in the youth cup: in May 2018, you won the DFB-Pokal with SC Freiburg’s U19s. What do you remember about the campaign?
Schlotterbeck: I have fond memories of it, because it’s one of the biggest achievements of my career so far. The team were amazing and so was our coach: he really got us working well together. Cup games are also special events at youth-team level. There were a lot in attendance for the final.
DFB.de: You’ve also had a successful start to the season at SC Freiburg. Why has the team been so strong recently?
Schlotterbeck: We’re just really close! We’ve set some good foundations and hardly lost any of the squad in the summer apart from “Santa” (Baptiste Santamaria), and in his place we’ve brought in “Egge” (Maximilian Eggestein) as well as some other good young players. Our defence is solid and is working with our midfield and attack.
DFB.de: Last season you went to Berlin to play for Union on loan, and now you’re back in Breisgau, a more peaceful part of the country. How do the two places differ?
Schlotterbeck: The two teams are quite similar, because neither team comes under much pressure from the media and the main aim of both teams each season is to remain in the division. The biggest difference is between the two cities. Berlin is much bigger, of course, and has a lot more to offer, but I also really enjoy living in Freiburg.
DFB.de: How did it feel to walk out for the first game at the Europa-Park-Stadion against RB Leipzig?
Schlotterbeck: It was certainly a big change. We played well and got a 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig, and the fans did a great job of spurring us on. It was a bit more powerful in the old ground because the fans were closer to the pitch, but when the new stadium is packed out it will also be a bit of a cauldron.
DFB.de: You are from a footballing family; your uncle, Niels Schlotterbeck, was also a pro footballer and also played for SC Freiburg. To what extent did he influence your career?
Schlotterbeck: He did have quite a big influence on mine and my brother’s career because we actually went to his football school. He taught us a lot, especially coordinative aspects of our game. Our parents were also very important, as they drove us around everywhere.
DFB.de: You play in the same team as your older brother Keven. While it’s been quite a successful season for you so far, he’s hardly played. How does it feel to be competing with your brother for the same position at centre-back?
Schlotterbeck: Obviously it’s a bit weird. We would prefer to be on the pitch together, but this is the situation we’re in now. We’re going about it normally though. Recently we’ve been playing with a back three, in which case we’re not treading on each other’s toes anyway. I’m expecting Keven to soon be used more regularly.
DFB.de: Do you always cross your fingers for each other when the starting XI is being read out, for example?
Schlotterbeck: Definitely. Even last season when I was at Union, I followed all of my brother’s games and was just as excited if not more so than him. You only want the best for your brother, but that can be hard to separate when you need to focus on your own game.
DFB.de: Changing the subject: You’ve been with the national team during the last two international breaks, but you haven’t played yet. What have you been able to learn from these experiences?
Schlotterbeck: There’s tremendous quality in the national team. Individually, Germany is one of the best teams in the world. We’ve got so many top-class players with international experience. I need to be extremely focused at training, because the players are so good that I wouldn’t be able to keep up otherwise. I can learn a lot from this level of quality and from the mentality. I hope to keep getting called up.
DFB.de: Which national team player impressed you especially?
Schlotterbeck: Joshua Kimmich, because he is exactly how he comes across on TV, focused and hard-working. Even off the pitch he is very focused and ambitious. Aside from that, he’s got unbelievable ability both on and off the ball.
DFB.de: Germany have secured qualification for the 2022 World Cup. But there are still two qualifiers to play in November, against Liechtenstein and Armenia. What’s your view of these two final games in 2021?
Schlotterbeck: I think we can use these games to work more on our processes on the pitch. I haven’t played under any other national team head coach, but the others have told me that Hansi Flick has brought in a different kind of input from Joachim Löw. So there’s a lot of fine tuning to do. We’ve played well, but can be even better and become a really good team.
DFB.de: What’s your impression of Hansi Flick and his coaching team?
Schlotterbeck: Very good, because they care about every player equally. The head coach talks to the players a lot, puts on really good training sessions and offers a lot of input. I think he’s brought the team to a new level.
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Nico Schlotterbeck plays in central defence for SC Freiburg and has recently been called up to the Germany Men’s national team. In an interview with dfb.de, the 21-year-old discussed Freiburg’s upcoming match in the second round of the DFB-Pokal away to VfL Osnabrück on Tuesday (20:45 CEST), his fight for a place in the team with his brother and his experience from being in the national team squad.
DFB.de: Mr. Schlotterbeck, how dangerous will it be if Freiburg of the Bundesliga underestimate VfL Osnabrück, who currently play in the 3. Liga?
Nico Schlotterbeck: We absolutely will not underestimate them. But the danger that we may get knocked out still remains, of course. Osnabrück have made a very positive start to their season in the 3. Liga and they’ll have plenty of supporters singing their name on Tuesday. I’ve never actually played at their stadium, but I’ve seen on TV just how loud and brutal the atmosphere can be there. We need to be mindful but also play our own game. If we can do that, our quality should see us through.
DFB.de: Are you aware that in your spells at SC Freiburg and Union Berlin, you are yet to make it past the second round of the DFB-Pokal?
Schlotterbeck: Yes, I’m aware. Two years ago I was knocked out of the second round of the cup with Freiburg against Union Berlin, and last season when I was at Union Berlin, we were defeated by SC Paderborn, so of course I’m aiming to get at least one round further this time. It would be nice to get drawn against a really strong opponent at some stage so that we could be outsiders for once.
DFB.de: You had a bit more success in the youth cup: in May 2018, you won the DFB-Pokal with SC Freiburg’s U19s. What do you remember about the campaign?
Schlotterbeck: I have fond memories of it, because it’s one of the biggest achievements of my career so far. The team were amazing and so was our coach: he really got us working well together. Cup games are also special events at youth-team level. There were a lot in attendance for the final.
DFB.de: You’ve also had a successful start to the season at SC Freiburg. Why has the team been so strong recently?
Schlotterbeck: We’re just really close! We’ve set some good foundations and hardly lost any of the squad in the summer apart from “Santa” (Baptiste Santamaria), and in his place we’ve brought in “Egge” (Maximilian Eggestein) as well as some other good young players. Our defence is solid and is working with our midfield and attack.
DFB.de: Last season you went to Berlin to play for Union on loan, and now you’re back in Breisgau, a more peaceful part of the country. How do the two places differ?
Schlotterbeck: The two teams are quite similar, because neither team comes under much pressure from the media and the main aim of both teams each season is to remain in the division. The biggest difference is between the two cities. Berlin is much bigger, of course, and has a lot more to offer, but I also really enjoy living in Freiburg.
DFB.de: How did it feel to walk out for the first game at the Europa-Park-Stadion against RB Leipzig?
Schlotterbeck: It was certainly a big change. We played well and got a 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig, and the fans did a great job of spurring us on. It was a bit more powerful in the old ground because the fans were closer to the pitch, but when the new stadium is packed out it will also be a bit of a cauldron.
DFB.de: You are from a footballing family; your uncle, Niels Schlotterbeck, was also a pro footballer and also played for SC Freiburg. To what extent did he influence your career?
Schlotterbeck: He did have quite a big influence on mine and my brother’s career because we actually went to his football school. He taught us a lot, especially coordinative aspects of our game. Our parents were also very important, as they drove us around everywhere.
DFB.de: You play in the same team as your older brother Keven. While it’s been quite a successful season for you so far, he’s hardly played. How does it feel to be competing with your brother for the same position at centre-back?
Schlotterbeck: Obviously it’s a bit weird. We would prefer to be on the pitch together, but this is the situation we’re in now. We’re going about it normally though. Recently we’ve been playing with a back three, in which case we’re not treading on each other’s toes anyway. I’m expecting Keven to soon be used more regularly.
DFB.de: Do you always cross your fingers for each other when the starting XI is being read out, for example?
Schlotterbeck: Definitely. Even last season when I was at Union, I followed all of my brother’s games and was just as excited if not more so than him. You only want the best for your brother, but that can be hard to separate when you need to focus on your own game.
DFB.de: Changing the subject: You’ve been with the national team during the last two international breaks, but you haven’t played yet. What have you been able to learn from these experiences?
Schlotterbeck: There’s tremendous quality in the national team. Individually, Germany is one of the best teams in the world. We’ve got so many top-class players with international experience. I need to be extremely focused at training, because the players are so good that I wouldn’t be able to keep up otherwise. I can learn a lot from this level of quality and from the mentality. I hope to keep getting called up.
DFB.de: Which national team player impressed you especially?
Schlotterbeck: Joshua Kimmich, because he is exactly how he comes across on TV, focused and hard-working. Even off the pitch he is very focused and ambitious. Aside from that, he’s got unbelievable ability both on and off the ball.
DFB.de: Germany have secured qualification for the 2022 World Cup. But there are still two qualifiers to play in November, against Liechtenstein and Armenia. What’s your view of these two final games in 2021?
Schlotterbeck: I think we can use these games to work more on our processes on the pitch. I haven’t played under any other national team head coach, but the others have told me that Hansi Flick has brought in a different kind of input from Joachim Löw. So there’s a lot of fine tuning to do. We’ve played well, but can be even better and become a really good team.
DFB.de: What’s your impression of Hansi Flick and his coaching team?
Schlotterbeck: Very good, because they care about every player equally. The head coach talks to the players a lot, puts on really good training sessions and offers a lot of input. I think he’s brought the team to a new level.
