"Our fans will push us"

Rune Jarstein speaks about the upcoming game against Borussia Dortmund, the goalkeeping coach Zsolt Petry and the support of the Berlin fans.

Berlin – Bright boots and colourful kits: in football, neon colours have been around for a while now. This season, Rune Jarstein has also regularly been wearing bright colours, so as to distract the opposing strikers. The Norwegian chooses between a luminous yellow and a bright pink goalkeeper kit when the rules afford him such a choice. The latter option has already served its purpose, twice, both times in Dortmund. The preferred kit is a matter of taste, but in his striking work clothes, Hertha’s keeper has already driven the Dortmund strikers to despair. The 32-year-old is set to meet BVB again this weekend and that will mean coming face-to-face with their red-hot striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

It hasn’t yet been confirmed which jersey Jarstein will pull on on Saturday (11/03/17), nevertheless the goalie has been speaking to us about the upcoming clash with the side who sit third in the league.

herthabsc.de: Rune, it’s been confirmed that you will continue to work with goalkeeper coach Zsolt Petry. Why do you two have such a special relationship?
Jarstein: I’m very happy about his extension. Zsolt isn’t just a great goalkeeping coach, he’s also a person who I get on really well with. I find him easy to talk to, both about goalkeeping and about things outside of football. In training, we do drills which improve my game. I feel that every month I develop further and that’s down to him.

herthabsc.de: At 32 years of age, you are now at a relatively mature age for a footballer. How do you keep on developing?
Jarstein: When I returned last season, it was important for me to get as much match experience as I could. It helped me reach a decent level by standing between the posts every week. I want to reach this level in every game and, of course, keep improving. I do strength and conditioning work every other day, except the day before a match. The training that I do with whole goalkeeping team is what improves me the most. I believe that goalkeepers are at their best in their thirties. I’ve said many times that I’d like to keep playing until I’m 40. 

herthabsc.de: You’ve kept a clean sheet on eight occasions in the Bundesliga, only Manuel Neuer has a better record. Also according to ‘kicker’ you’re statistically the best keeper. Are you interested in statistics?
Jarstein: I’d be lying if I were to say that I hadn’t seen these things. It pleases me, but it doesn’t mean that much to me. What’s more important is that we’re successful as a team. We do that a lot, when I keep a clean sheet. I also have my own target of how many clean sheets I want to keep in a season, but that remains private (laughs). 

herthabsc.de: Your colleague Per Skjelbred has decided to step back from the Norwegian national set-up. What do you make of that decision?
Jarstein: I spoke to Per a little bit about it previously and I knew about it already when he made the announcement. It’s a shame because he was an important player for us. But, of course, I respect his decision. It means that he’s no longer 100% motivated for it and would rather spend more time with his family. I will play for as long as my body allows. I’m still very proud to pull on the Norwegian national team shirt.

herthabsc.de: On Saturday (11/03/17) you’ll be wearing the Hertha shirt. It’ll be the third meeting between Hertha and Dortmund this season. How do you go about overcoming BVB? 
Jarstein: It’s difficult to say; we have to be courageous. We have to play football, but we know that Dortmund is a very good team. We have to fight and be positive. We need a little bit of luck as well. I think our fans will push us. We’re looking forward to an exciting game.