“We are well prepared”
“We are well prepared”
23-year-old Niklas Stark, already one of Hertha’s most experienced players, is expecting a “very tricky” opponent.
herthabsc.de caught up with Hertha’s number 5 to discuss the excitement for the new season, gruelling fitness sessions, leadership qualities within a young team and of course the upcoming showdown with Eintracht Braunschweig and the dream of cup success.
herthabsc.de: The hard slog of pre-season is over; on Monday competitive football finally gets going. How much are you looking forward to the start of the season, Niklas?
Niklas Stark: I’m very excited, just like the rest of the team. The pre-season was long and tough. Now the time has come to put everything we’ve been preparing into practice.
herthabsc.de: How hard were fitness coach Henrik Kuchno’s sessions in pre-season?
Niklas Stark: They were long. We did some very tough running sessions, but I didn’t find it as hard as in previous years. We’re all feeling fit and very well prepared for the new season.
herthabsc.de: Alongside fitness the team have also been working on tactical flexibility. How is the system working with three at the back?
Niklas Stark: We’ve been working on it in training and have played it in the friendlies as well, but we know that the Bundesliga will really put the system to the test. We won’t be playing three at the back in every game; the coaching team will decide based on the opponents. I think the system works well. It makes us more flexible and gives more options to change things up in the game. From experience, it takes the opposition some time to adapt to that change, which is something we can use to our advantage.
herthabsc.de: The summer saw many players join the squad from the Hertha youth set-up. What are your thoughts on the newcomers?
Niklas Stark: They have all made a very good impression. I remember when I joined the first-team squad. It’s not easy to cope with the pressure and find the balance between keeping a cool head and showing uncontrolled determination. The new boys seemed to have managed it very well and will all get their minutes as a result.
herthabsc.de: You’re a young player yourself, but you’ve already played in almost 100 Bundesliga games. Many consider you one of the leaders on the pitch. Do you see yourself as a leader?
Niklas Stark: I have a lot of experience and I like to pass it on to the younger players in order to help the team succeed. But, I don’t like talking too much, I’d rather let my performance on the pitch do the talking.
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[>]"We’re all feeling fit and very well prepared for the new season."[<]
herthabsc.de: What do you make of the newcomers Javairo Dilrosun, Pascal Köpke and Lukas Klünter?
Niklas Stark: They all fit into the team well and offer the coaches new options. They definitely improve the squad. We’ll see what they can bring to the team in the Bundesliga.
herthabsc.de: This season’s first opponents come in the shape of Eintracht Braunschweig. What are you expecting from the first round the DFB-Pokal?
Niklas Stark: It’s going to be a tricky game. To come up against a 3. Liga team in the first round is never easy – that’s been proven in the past. We’ll have a highly motivated opponent so we need to be winning our on-pitch battles from the off. It’ll be important to start well since, unlike Braunschweig, it’s our first competitive game of the season.
herthabsc.de: Every year the dream of playing a final in our own stadium returns. What will it take to make this dream a reality?
Niklas Stark: First of all we need to beat Braunschweig. We will have to play our very best in every round. The luck of the draw also plays a role; it’d be nice if, this year, we don’t meet BVB until the final considering they’ve knocked us out by for the last three years in a row. The semi-final two years ago remains one of the top highlights from my time here in Berlin.