From one of Schalke 04's summer signings to Germany international - Roman Neustädter's season so far could hardly have taken a better turn. From the Bundesliga to the UEFA Champions League, the defensive mid-fielder hasn't missed a single minute sporting the Royal Blues' shirt, while Germany's away game against the Dutch at Amsterdam provided him with a first taste of what it's like playing for your country.
Marco Reus's best mate when the two of them played for Borussia Mönchengladbach only last season, Roman has now settled in well at Schalke. Even with one more UCL group match to play, the team from Gelsenkirchen in Germany's former rust belt have already made it to the round-of-16 stage. But Schalke coach Huub Stevens will also want to make sure they defend their current third-place slot on the Bundesliga table when playing Hamburg away on Tuesday (kick-off 20:00 h, live on LIGA total! and Sky).
In this DFB.de-Interview with Thorsten Langenbahn, Roman Neustädter talks about being subjected to the triple stress of Bundesliga, Champions League, und German FA Cup; he explains how the mind governs the legs, and he weighs his potential national team career.
DFB.de: Roman, Bayern Munich gave Hannover 96 a 5-0 drubbing last weekend – are they playing in a league of their own?
Roman Neustädter: At the risk of sounding impolite, I don't really care what Bayern do or don't do.
DFB.de: And that Borussia Dortmund have overtaken FC Schalke in the league table?
Neustädter: Again, this doesn't bother me at all. We're only focussing on ourselves. We drew 1-1 with Frankfurt and have an important match to play in Hamburg. Everything else just has to come second.
DFB.de: Hamburg seemed to have got into their stride, only to be beaten 0-2 away to Düsseldorf. How would you rate the team?
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From one of Schalke 04's summer signings to Germany international - Roman Neustädter's season so far could hardly have taken a better turn. From the Bundesliga to the UEFA Champions League, the defensive mid-fielder hasn't missed a single minute sporting the Royal Blues' shirt, while Germany's away game against the Dutch at Amsterdam provided him with a first taste of what it's like playing for your country.
Marco Reus's best mate when the two of them played for Borussia Mönchengladbach only last season, Roman has now settled in well at Schalke. Even with one more UCL group match to play, the team from Gelsenkirchen in Germany's former rust belt have already made it to the round-of-16 stage. But Schalke coach Huub Stevens will also want to make sure they defend their current third-place slot on the Bundesliga table when playing Hamburg away on Tuesday (kick-off 20:00 h, live on LIGA total! and Sky).
In this DFB.de-Interview with Thorsten Langenbahn, Roman Neustädter talks about being subjected to the triple stress of Bundesliga, Champions League, und German FA Cup; he explains how the mind governs the legs, and he weighs his potential national team career.
DFB.de: Roman, Bayern Munich gave Hannover 96 a 5-0 drubbing last weekend – are they playing in a league of their own?
Roman Neustädter: At the risk of sounding impolite, I don't really care what Bayern do or don't do.
DFB.de: And that Borussia Dortmund have overtaken FC Schalke in the league table?
Neustädter: Again, this doesn't bother me at all. We're only focussing on ourselves. We drew 1-1 with Frankfurt and have an important match to play in Hamburg. Everything else just has to come second.
DFB.de: Hamburg seemed to have got into their stride, only to be beaten 0-2 away to Düsseldorf. How would you rate the team?
Neustädter: Hamburg are a strong side who can play good football. They have some excellent individual players but their strong point lately has been that they worked well as a team, too.
DFB.de: Whenever Rafael van der Vaart didn't our couldn't play, the team from up north never scored a single goal. Do you think that without him, Hamburg are be bereft of ideas and creativity?
Neustädter: Well, luckily that not our problem but Hamburg's, but as a rule we analyze every player of the opposition, no matter whether or not he's in the starting line-up. It'll be another major challenge, but one we're ready to face. We try to win every match.
DFB.de: There are six more matches to go before the Bundesliga winter break, and with the exception of Schalke's DFB Cup match against Sandhausen, you've played a full 90 minutes in all of the other 19 official games. How have you been coping so far?
Neustädter:I feel good and try to regenerate the best I can, and to feel 100 percent fit again. Right now I have no problem going a full 90 minutes every time. It's just that regeneration time until Tuesday night is preciously short, and we players have to make the most of it.
DFB.de: Despite having played a mid-week Champions League match, your team looked the fitter side in the second half against Frankfurt, so physically speaking Schalke are doing just fine. But isn't it hard to hold up mentally?
Neustädter:No, I don't think so. In the second half we had a good grip on the game and Frankfurt didn't come close to even finishing. Actually, it's all in the head. If your mind says 'No', so will your legs – and by the same token, mental strength will make your legs say 'Yes'! That's just the way it is. Most of the time you're not really aware of just what your body is able of doing. It's amazing how strong you can be as long as you don't really think about it and just run and run – that way, you don't notice getting tired.
DFB.de:Personally speaking, you hit the ground running, you start every game, and you won your first cap for Germany against the Netherlands – has this given you fresh impetus?
Neustädter: Of course it has! That was the perfect reward and a great experience. I hope to get many more call-ups from the head coach. But my main focus is on Schalke –that's the best way for me to make a name for myself…and maybe even win more caps.
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DFB.de: Would you say it's a good sign that hardly anyone at the Veltins Arena speaks of Raúl any more?
Neustädter:People talked a lot about him during pre-season, but now we've got a very good team and the past is in the past. The players in this year's squad – they're the ones who really count.
DFB.de:There was talk in the media about alleged "differences" between coach and players – what did you make of that?
Neustädter:There were no such differences. The team are just fine, so is the coaching staff, and Stevens has the full support of the dressing room. Remember the 2-2 draw against Arsenal and the utter shambles that was the away game at Leverkusen? Then just look at how we came back against Piräus! This shows that say what you will, team morale is fantastic.
