“I knew that I had to deliver”

Vladimir Darida speaks about his expectations, his eye for goal and the game against Werder Bremen on Saturday (19/10/19).

Berlin – Vladimir Darida is currently in a rich vein of form; three assists and one goal in his last two Bundesliga matches. Therefore the 29-year-old has played a key role in Hertha’s three consecutive victories: against Paderborn, Köln and Dusseldorf, after a rocky start to the season. The Czech Republic national team have also profited from the Hertha man’s form, picking up a win over England during the international break and therefore taking another important step towards qualification for the European Championships next summer. 

The midfielder’s good feeling wasn’t tarnished by their (insignificant) friendly defeat at the hands of Northern Ireland, as the Czech managed to make the scoresheet despite the result. One thing that is certain: After almost two injury-filled seasons, Vladimir Darida is back as one of Hertha’s most important players. Berlin’s number six speaks to herthabsc.de ahead of the away game at Werder Bremen on Saturday (19/10/19). 

herthabsc.de: Vladi, your goal against Düsseldorf was your first Bundesliga goal for almost a year and a half. You also found the net for your country in September and October. Are we witnessing your transformation into a goalscorer?

Darida: Phew, it really had been a long time since my last goal (smiles). It’s going really well for me at the moment; my confidence is sky-high and I think you can tell when I’m on the pitch. It’s an amazing feeling to set-up goals, and to score them yourself. I hope it continues! I expect myself to score more goals than I have in the past. 

herthabsc.de: In the first few games of the season you played a more defensive role, more in the number six position. Recently the coach, Ante Covic, has given you more attacking freedom. Explain what this change has meant for your performances. 

Darida: As a number ten I’m a lot higher up the pitch. Then of course my job is to provide more assists and to score more goals. The coach has recently told me that I should reward myself and try to get my name on the scoresheet. I managed to do this against Düsseldorf and he congratulated me after the game.

herthabsc.de: You’ve had a difficult time in the past, with lots of injuries and setbacks. Before the start of the season it wasn’t quite clear what your role was going to be. How have you managed to get back into form?

Darida: I spent my summer here in Berlin rather than going back home to the Czech Republic. I worked hard every day, either in the rehabilitation centre or here in the weights room. I wanted to make sure that I was ready to train with the team right from the start; not a day or a week later. That was really important for me. That allowed me to have a full pre-season, which helped me a lot. I knew before the season that I had to deliver, and I’m doing well at the moment (grins).

herthabsc.de: The 13.55Km that you covered against Düsseldorf is a league-high amount, and it shows that your work has paid off.

Darida: Working hard for the team is the foundation of my game, so it’s important that I stay fit and healthy. I think I wasn’t at full fitness when things weren’t going so well for me. After I came back from my injuries, I would often struggle and then I would pick up another injury after the game. That was very frustrating and makes me even happier about how things are going at the moment. 

herthabsc.de: It’s not only going well for you here in Berlin, but also with the Czech national team. After the win against England, you are now in second place ahead of Kosovo and still have European qualification firmly in your hands. What do you think about the development of the team?

Darida: We haven’t had a win against a big team like England for a while, so the mood was really good after the game. Unfortunately I couldn’t celebrate with the boys after the game because I had to do a drug test (laughs). We now have a great chance to qualify for the European Championships. The next game against Kosovo in November will be really important. We’re at home and we want to win. The game is in my home town of Pilsen; I was born there and played there for many years. It will be really special for me to lead the team onto the pitch as captain there. If Borek Dockal is injured, then I will represent him. And even if that game doesn’t go our way, then we still have a chance in Bulgaria.

herthabsc.de: During your time in the Bundesliga you have faced Saturday’s opponents, Werder Bremen, on two occasions. Above all, Hertha fans should have fond memories of your memorable long-distance strike at the WESERSTADION back in January 2016. Nevertheless, your record against the North Germans isn’t great. Why do you think that is?

Darida: I remember that goal... (smiles). It’s difficult to say why we do so badly against Bremen, but that’s not important for the upcoming game. We’ve won our last three league games, and played really well. We want to build on our good form against Werder, and then hopefully we can put an end to this negative record. Furthermore, I’ve spoken to Jiri Pavlenka (Werder’s goalkeeper and international teammate) and I would love to score and win against him. Then I can take the mick out of him at the next international break in November (laughs). 

herthabsc.de: Bremen is the first game in an interesting run of fixtures. After your visit to the WESERSTADION, you are faced with matches against Hoffenheim, Dresden in the cup, then the derby with Union and finally the home game against Leipzig. How are you feeling about these matches?

Darida: We’ve shown over our past few games that we’ve recovered from our difficult start to the season. We’ve managed to create lots of chances and have taken our goals efficiently. Defensively, we’ve been a lot more solid. Now, we just need to build on this. We want to prove that we’re a good team.