“The whole side’s development has been really positive”
“The whole side’s development has been really positive”
Valentino Lazaro discusses the current season, Marko Grujić’s injury, the upcoming Christmas festivities and his musical highlights of 2018.
Berlin – On the pitch he is becoming one of the team’s leaders, while off it he is known as the changing room DJ: Valentino Lazaro has stepped up in his second season at Hertha BSC. The Austria is indispensable for head coach Pál Dárdai – he is the only player who hasn’t missed a minute of competitive football in the 2018/19 season. The man who wears the number 20 discussed the current season, Marko Grujić’s injury, the upcoming Christmas festivities and his musical highlights of 2018.
Lazaro: I wouldn’t say that I feel much happier. I have taken on my new role well and have tried from the beginning to give my best defensively and offensively. Things have come off more in the past few weeks. I think it’s still clear that my strengths are my attacking abilities. As a right-back in our formation, I often have the ball without a defender behind me, which allows me to run forwards with more tempo. I also don’t think there is a huge difference in my game, as I get up the pitch so often as well. I think I was able to combine well with “Lecks” well in the last few games. I’m sure that I will be on the wing again in the future and that I will then be able to combine well with the man behind me: sometimes he will push up, sometimes I will – which obviously has more advantages for me!
herthabsc.de: You set yourself the goal before the season of reaching at least ten scorer points and to take more responsibility in the team. How well do you think this gone so far?
Lazaro: Firstly, I’m pleased that I’ve been able to help out my team by scoring and assisting more goals – despite the fact that I’m playing in a more defensive position. If you were to watch back our games though, you would see that I should have perhaps had a few more scorer points. Regarding my responsibility in the team, I do feel that I play a bigger role in the side now. In my second year at Hertha, I am more involved and have the chance to discuss various aspects of our game. I think the whole side’s development has been really positive.
herthabsc.de: One man who has helped the side’s development is Marko Grujić. We are yet to lose a game in which Marko has played in and have won 17 from a possible 23 points. Unfortunately, he is injured again and will not feature before Christmas. How much will you miss him, especially as his recent return from injury was one of the main reasons the team had found some form again?
Lazaro: That’s definitely true; he’s a very important player for us. He has been like a stabilizer for us. He plays a lot of good passes and rarely loses the ball. He’s capable of playing final balls and can also get shots away himself. For all these reasons, we love having him with us – he improves us as a side! As a result of this, we will hugely miss him. We will have to find a new way of playing, but we have some other fantastic midfielders. We hope that we play better in the next three games as we did when he was out injured last time.
herthabsc.de: This Saturday we will face VfB Stuttgart (15/12, 15:30 CET). They are currently fighting against relegation and have only scored nine goals this season. Nevertheless, we have struggled away in Stuttgart in the last few years: We’ve only won one of our last games there. How do you think we can beat them?
Lazaro: Obviously it could be a very scrappy game. They cannot be underestimated. We need to prevent them from playing the way they would like to, get at them early and try win the ball back from them. Hopefully they will get a bit nervous. Ultimately, we will need to take our chances so that we can take all three points home with us.
herthabsc.de: Away from the pitch you are known for your taste in music. You decide what music is played in the dressing room. What songs would be on your best-of-2018 playlist?
Lazaro: Drake’s album “Scorpion” and Travis Scott’s album “Astroworld” would definitely be on it. Regarding German music, Luciano would have to be on there too. There have also been several newcomers, who I can’t leave out, such as H.E.R.
herthabsc.de: Although there are three more fixtures still to play, the Christmas break is almost upon us. What are you looking forward to more: The days off from football or spending time with your friends and family back home?
Lazaro: Both! As we’ve already discussed, I’ve not yet missed a minute this season. Obviously this will take its toll on me at some point. It will be nice to be able to put my feet up for a few days and have a rest. Seeing my friends and family again is always nice.