Zieler: I’m a sportsman. I would have loved tot ake all three points, that’s for sure. I make no secret of that. You have to be content with a point when the game goes like this in a hard fought match. The Köln pressure got greater after the break and they kept on knocking on the door. We have to take this point with us now and work on the next three points, preferably at home to Stuttgart next weekend.
DFB.de: Are Hannover really in a relegation battle now?
Zieler: I don’t care what you call it. Relegation battle is simply a word. There are still plenty of games and we have to pick up points one way or another. We know that. But we definitely have that quality in our side and the team gives a good account of themselves. If we can improve a few things here and there then I’m sure myself too that we can free ourselves from it relatively quick.
DFB.de: Therefore, how precarious is the situation?
Zieler: It’s already a bit of a hairy situation, I’ll give you that. That can happen sometimes in football. Nevertheless, we won’t let ourselves lose our heads.
DFB.de: What gives you hope that you won’t fall further into the relegation battle?
Zieler: It’s not the case that we went down in Köln. The team fought there and played some pretty good football now and again. In that respect, I’m optimistic that we can pick up points again soon. We have to start doing that against Stuttgart. If we lose to VfB, then a point from Köln is even more valuable. Perhaps then we’ll go on a run too. The game next week will be very, very important.
DFB.de: Is the pressure very high now?
Germany keeper Ron-Robert Zieler salvaged a point for Hannover 96 against 1. FC Köln with his saves. The 1-1 draw means that tenth-placed Hannover are just four points clear of the relegation places. The Lower Saxony side are yet to win in 2015 and have taken just two points from their five fixtures following the winter break. “It’s already a bit of a hairy situation,” the World Cup winner said. In an interview, the 26-year-old spoke on the draw with his former employers, the quality of Hannover 96 and the pressure in the relegation battle.
DFB.de: Mr Zieler, what do you make of the 1-1 draw to 1. FC Köln?
Ron-Robert Zieler: All in all, the draw is okay. We started well, scored early on and had Köln just where we wanted them. I had a good feeling that we could take all three points today. We then made another mistake that allowed Ujah to head the equaliser. Köln then exerted more pressure on us after the goal. The draw is probably alright for us on the basis of the second half, in which Köln tried to build up the pressure.
DFB.de: In fact it was a very good beginning for Hannover 96 with Joselu’s goal in the fifth minute...
Zieler: Yeah, it was a great start. But then we went and shipped a stupid goal. We definitely have the quality there in our squad. We also have to try to play for 90 or at least 60 or 70 minutes and not just 30 minutes. We still have to work on that.
DFB.de: Köln had a few good chances in the second half and you prevented them from taking the lead. Did you have the feeling that the game could tilt either way?
Zieler: A goal can happen anytime in a game, when it’s as tight as this. For either side. We had a few counterattacks and could have made it 2-1. You can never predict games like this as you have to be prepared for everything. The game wasn’t always a spectacle, it was hard fought with lots of long balls.
DFB.de: Are you happy with a point at the end of the day?
Zieler: I’m a sportsman. I would have loved tot ake all three points, that’s for sure. I make no secret of that. You have to be content with a point when the game goes like this in a hard fought match. The Köln pressure got greater after the break and they kept on knocking on the door. We have to take this point with us now and work on the next three points, preferably at home to Stuttgart next weekend.
DFB.de: Are Hannover really in a relegation battle now?
Zieler: I don’t care what you call it. Relegation battle is simply a word. There are still plenty of games and we have to pick up points one way or another. We know that. But we definitely have that quality in our side and the team gives a good account of themselves. If we can improve a few things here and there then I’m sure myself too that we can free ourselves from it relatively quick.
DFB.de: Therefore, how precarious is the situation?
Zieler: It’s already a bit of a hairy situation, I’ll give you that. That can happen sometimes in football. Nevertheless, we won’t let ourselves lose our heads.
DFB.de: What gives you hope that you won’t fall further into the relegation battle?
Zieler: It’s not the case that we went down in Köln. The team fought there and played some pretty good football now and again. In that respect, I’m optimistic that we can pick up points again soon. We have to start doing that against Stuttgart. If we lose to VfB, then a point from Köln is even more valuable. Perhaps then we’ll go on a run too. The game next week will be very, very important.
DFB.de: Is the pressure very high now?
Zieler: There’s always pressure in football. It’s a performance business and football in the Bundesliga is a performance sport. You have to do your best to win. But that’s not so easy of course. We still managed to get a point from Köln.
DFB.de: How was the return to your ex-club?
Zieler: Generally speaking, it’s always nice to come back to my hometown. We stayed in the Hyatt overnight and had a nice view of the cathedral. It’s always nice too to play in front of so many fans in the Rhein-Energie-Stadion. You have to say that. But my concentration is on Hannover 96 but I hope that FC Köln stay in the league of course.
