Things are going very well for newly-promoted Bundesliga side SC Freiburg. They are eighth in the Bundesliga with twelve points in the bank. Somebody who has contributed a lot to that success is midfielder Vincenzo Grifo. Grifo already established himself as one of the Freiburg’s most important players when he scored 15 goals and made 14 assists in the 2015/16 season to help his side gain promotion to the Bundesliga and he now has the chance to show what he can do in Germany’s elite division. The set-piece specialist played a part in both goals in his side’s 2-1 win over FC Augsburg last Saturday.
SC now host 2. Bundesliga side SV Sandhausen in the second round of the DFB Cup. This will be no easy task as Sandhausen are unbeaten in their last five games and celebrated an emphatic 3-0 victory on Saturday against FC St. Pauli. DFB.de spoke with Vincenzo Grifo ahead of his side’s upcoming cup game.
DFB.de: Vincenzo Grifo, twelve points from your first eight matches this season. Does that represent a successful start to the campaign for SC Freiburg?
Vincenzo Grifo: Absolutely, we can’t complain. We have started the season really well, obviously it’s not ideal that we have lost all our away games, but sometimes we’ve been missing that bit of extra luck you need. We had the first two clear-cut chances in Cologne and against Hertha we conceded the match-winner in the 96th minute. At home we have our fans behind us and they have helped us pick up these twelve points, it’s been a decent start overall.
DFB.de: You’ve played for Karlsruhe, Hoffenheim, Dresden, Frankfurt and now Freiburg. That is quite a lot of different clubs considering you’ve been a professional footballer for a relatively short time. Where did you progress the most as a player?
Grifo: Our head coach at Frankfurt Benno Möhlmann gave me an element of freedom. It was then that I first experienced success and because I wanted to have more of that, I had to try to perform at my best level all the time. I got into a good rhythm there and Freiburg was the next step. Everything is going well in Freiburg, I feel great and I can sense the faith they have in me, which also motivates me more and therefore makes me play better.
DFB.de: You are regarded as an absolute expert when it comes to set pieces and this is something that SC Freiburg is famous for - it looks like you’re a great fit.
Grifo: It actually could not have gone any better. It’s already been going really well for me and with more training I’ll hopefully get even better. A lot of importance is placed on free-kicks and corners at Freiburg and it massively contributed to our victory against Augsburg on Saturday. This area of my game went really well last season with six of my goals coming from direct free-kicks. Of course it doesn’t always come off and you have to put a lot of work into it, but when it does work, then I can use it to help the team.
DFB.de: You decided a few years ago that you would play for the Italian national youth team. How difficult a decision was that and how much influence did the fact you grew up in Germany have on your decision.
Grifo: It was an enormous decision but I made clear that I took it myself. I grew up in Germany and I’m very thankful for the chance to go to school here, get an education here and develop personally. However, I also grew up in an Italian family, we speak Italian at home, I’m an Inter fan and my heart told me to choose the Italian national team so I listened. To play for the U20 and U21 Italian sides was great, it would be an absolute dream if the first team called. Who knows, Italy will soon have to look at more young players.
DFB.de: On Tuesday you face SV Sandhausen in the DFB Cup. You know them well as you both played in the second division last year, what do you have to be careful of when facing them?
Grifo: Sandhausen are in super form at the moment – they showed that at the weekend against St. Pauli. They’re aggressive and strong off the ball, they’re true fighters who don’t hold back in the challenges, but I believe we can handle it. Of course, in an encounter like this one where a first division side faces one from the second division, we’re the ones under pressure. We have to get into the next round, but to achieve this we have to give 100 percent, otherwise SV Sandhausen will be dangerous.
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Things are going very well for newly-promoted Bundesliga side SC Freiburg. They are eighth in the Bundesliga with twelve points in the bank. Somebody who has contributed a lot to that success is midfielder Vincenzo Grifo. Grifo already established himself as one of the Freiburg’s most important players when he scored 15 goals and made 14 assists in the 2015/16 season to help his side gain promotion to the Bundesliga and he now has the chance to show what he can do in Germany’s elite division. The set-piece specialist played a part in both goals in his side’s 2-1 win over FC Augsburg last Saturday.
SC now host 2. Bundesliga side SV Sandhausen in the second round of the DFB Cup. This will be no easy task as Sandhausen are unbeaten in their last five games and celebrated an emphatic 3-0 victory on Saturday against FC St. Pauli. DFB.de spoke with Vincenzo Grifo ahead of his side’s upcoming cup game.
DFB.de: Vincenzo Grifo, twelve points from your first eight matches this season. Does that represent a successful start to the campaign for SC Freiburg?
Vincenzo Grifo: Absolutely, we can’t complain. We have started the season really well, obviously it’s not ideal that we have lost all our away games, but sometimes we’ve been missing that bit of extra luck you need. We had the first two clear-cut chances in Cologne and against Hertha we conceded the match-winner in the 96th minute. At home we have our fans behind us and they have helped us pick up these twelve points, it’s been a decent start overall.
DFB.de: You’ve played for Karlsruhe, Hoffenheim, Dresden, Frankfurt and now Freiburg. That is quite a lot of different clubs considering you’ve been a professional footballer for a relatively short time. Where did you progress the most as a player?
Grifo: Our head coach at Frankfurt Benno Möhlmann gave me an element of freedom. It was then that I first experienced success and because I wanted to have more of that, I had to try to perform at my best level all the time. I got into a good rhythm there and Freiburg was the next step. Everything is going well in Freiburg, I feel great and I can sense the faith they have in me, which also motivates me more and therefore makes me play better.
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DFB.de: You are regarded as an absolute expert when it comes to set pieces and this is something that SC Freiburg is famous for - it looks like you’re a great fit.
Grifo: It actually could not have gone any better. It’s already been going really well for me and with more training I’ll hopefully get even better. A lot of importance is placed on free-kicks and corners at Freiburg and it massively contributed to our victory against Augsburg on Saturday. This area of my game went really well last season with six of my goals coming from direct free-kicks. Of course it doesn’t always come off and you have to put a lot of work into it, but when it does work, then I can use it to help the team.
DFB.de: You decided a few years ago that you would play for the Italian national youth team. How difficult a decision was that and how much influence did the fact you grew up in Germany have on your decision.
Grifo: It was an enormous decision but I made clear that I took it myself. I grew up in Germany and I’m very thankful for the chance to go to school here, get an education here and develop personally. However, I also grew up in an Italian family, we speak Italian at home, I’m an Inter fan and my heart told me to choose the Italian national team so I listened. To play for the U20 and U21 Italian sides was great, it would be an absolute dream if the first team called. Who knows, Italy will soon have to look at more young players.
DFB.de: On Tuesday you face SV Sandhausen in the DFB Cup. You know them well as you both played in the second division last year, what do you have to be careful of when facing them?
Grifo: Sandhausen are in super form at the moment – they showed that at the weekend against St. Pauli. They’re aggressive and strong off the ball, they’re true fighters who don’t hold back in the challenges, but I believe we can handle it. Of course, in an encounter like this one where a first division side faces one from the second division, we’re the ones under pressure. We have to get into the next round, but to achieve this we have to give 100 percent, otherwise SV Sandhausen will be dangerous.
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