DFB.de: You now come up against your former club of all sides in the DFB Cup. What are your chances of progressing with Jahn Regensburg?
Knoll: Hertha have won nine of the ten meetings to date. We’ll have to hope that Berlin have a bad day at the office, but we’ll also have to be at our very best and play with aggression and courage. If everything goes our way and nothing Hertha’s, then we might just have a chance. Our coach Heiko Herrlich will have us perfectly prepared, I’m sure of that. He is a tactical mastermind and knows how to motivate us too. He won trophies as a player, was the Bundesliga’s top scorer and even won the Champions League. When he has something to say, it’s always convincing.
DFB.de: Would you call Hertha BSC your favourite club?
Knoll: As a kid, without a doubt. I would regularly go to the stadium and I still follow Hertha today. That won’t change.
DFB.de: What do you make of the current situation at the capital club?
Knoll: Hertha have a very strong side, and them failing to qualify for the Europa League group phase doesn’t change that. Most of the squad has stayed put, so I think Berlin will be pushing for the European places against this season. I played together with their coach Pal Dardai in the 2011/12 campaign. He is a decisive factor for them. Even as a player, he was always ambitious and a real winner.
DFB.de: Would you like to return to Hertha at some point in your career?
Knoll: That’s an unrealistic goal at the moment. It’s definitely something I would think about though. But, like I said, I feel very much at home in Regensburg and I see no reason to leave.
The first round of the DFB Cup provided a dream draw for Marvin Knoll of third-division side Jahn Regensburg. The Berlin-born midfielder will take on Bundesliga outfit Hertha BSC this weekend, a side Knoll spent many years at. The 25-year-old has been at SSV Jahn since January 2015, and helped them gain promotion to the third tier last season courtesy of a play-off win over VfL Wolfsburg II.
Marvin Knoll spoke to DFB.de about his time at Hertha, SSV Jahn coach and “tactical mastermind” Heiko Herrlich, and the upcoming meeting with his former club.
DFB.de: Hand on heart, what did you think when Hertha were drawn as SSV Jahn’s cup opponents, Mr Knoll?
Marvin Knoll: A dream draw! I said before the draw that I really wanted to get Hertha. I was sat watching it on TV with my wife Anna. When the pairing came out, I was just over the moon.
DFB.de: How many ticket requests did you get from people in Berlin?
Knoll: I’m not sure, at least 15. A lot of my friends ended up getting tickets via Hertha so will be in the away end – they’re Berlin fans after all. I managed to get tickets for my family, so it will be a nice reunion.
DFB.de: You were born in Berlin and spent seven years in Hertha BSC’s youth setup. What are your memories of that time?
Knoll: It was very special. I was playing for SC Staaken, a local club, when an offer came in from Hertha, and it was a huge honour. I learnt a lot there, especially under Wolfgang Damm and Dirk Kunert. I have particularly good memories of winning the German Championship with the U17s. Even today, it’s still one of the big highlights in my young career.
DFB.de: You now come up against your former club of all sides in the DFB Cup. What are your chances of progressing with Jahn Regensburg?
Knoll: Hertha have won nine of the ten meetings to date. We’ll have to hope that Berlin have a bad day at the office, but we’ll also have to be at our very best and play with aggression and courage. If everything goes our way and nothing Hertha’s, then we might just have a chance. Our coach Heiko Herrlich will have us perfectly prepared, I’m sure of that. He is a tactical mastermind and knows how to motivate us too. He won trophies as a player, was the Bundesliga’s top scorer and even won the Champions League. When he has something to say, it’s always convincing.
DFB.de: Would you call Hertha BSC your favourite club?
Knoll: As a kid, without a doubt. I would regularly go to the stadium and I still follow Hertha today. That won’t change.
DFB.de: What do you make of the current situation at the capital club?
Knoll: Hertha have a very strong side, and them failing to qualify for the Europa League group phase doesn’t change that. Most of the squad has stayed put, so I think Berlin will be pushing for the European places against this season. I played together with their coach Pal Dardai in the 2011/12 campaign. He is a decisive factor for them. Even as a player, he was always ambitious and a real winner.
DFB.de: Would you like to return to Hertha at some point in your career?
Knoll: That’s an unrealistic goal at the moment. It’s definitely something I would think about though. But, like I said, I feel very much at home in Regensburg and I see no reason to leave.
