“We have to be self-critical”

Berlin – Vladimir Darida has been racking up the air miles in the last two weeks. Hertha’s number 6 has played in Cyprus, Israel and Scotland with the Czech national side, and all within six days. The 30-year-old then played in the defeat against VfB Stuttgart just days later, with his, like always, dedicated and passionate performance unable to turn the game around. His interview with herthabsc.de made clear how frustrated he was with the result. “Our problem is that we concede too many easy goals because we make too many mistakes. We’re not consistent enough,” says the midfielder. But Darida has turned his attention to the upcoming against against RB Leipzig on Saturday (24/10/20, 15:30 CEST). “Leipzig are unbeaten and have started well in the Champions League too. We need to work hard this week and we can take things from the game in Munich,” says the Czech, who also discusses the internationals and his contract extension.

herthabsc.de: Vladi, the question probably on all Herthaners‘ lips is this: Where’s the club at at the moment?

Darida: We’re in a process and we’ve been lacking consistency. We have to be self-critical. We’ve had good moments in every game, but they were followed by bad ones and we’ve had too many of those. That’s why we don’t have many points. Nonetheless, I think our performances have deserved more points than we currently have. We can’t be satisfied with how it is at the moment. 

herthabsc.de: There were a few changes to the squad in the summer. That means you all have to get used to different ways of doing things. How do you think that development has gone?

Darida: It’s so important to train together as a group so we get used to playing with each other and we click on the pitch. That hasn’t been possible because of the international break. I think we’re strong defensively and have been compact for the most part. Our problem is that we concede too many easy goals because we make too many mistakes. We’re not consistent enough. You can see that we have potential going forward, we keep having great moments where you can see how we want to play, but we still need more time.

herthabsc.de: After the Stuttgart game, Bruno Labbadia said that the team became error-prone in the build-up play after they went behind and that the players’ positioning was poor. How can you explain that?

Darida: It’s difficult to explain. The first goal was hard to take and it really hit us hard, but that shouldn’t happen. We needed to stick to the plan – like in Munich. We need to learn to deal with setbacks. I don’t know if you can coach that, it’s often something that just plays out in your head. But as I said, if we can click as a group, that’ll help us.

herthabsc.de: Let’s turn our attention to the national side: You and the Czech Republic are still battling for promotion in the UEFA Nations League and you’ll be taking part in the EUROs in the summer. You often lead your team as captain. How important is the national side to you, eight years after your debut?

Darida: It’s always really special putting on the Czech Republic shirt and representing my country – after all these years it’s still a great honour. Whether I wear the captain’s armband or not, it doesn’t actually matter. Borek Dockval, who plays for Slavia Prague, is actually our captain, I’m his vice. I can take or leave the responsibility. It really doesn’t matter to us, we’ve been together as a team for a long time and we get on with each other really well. We always really look forward to getting together with the national side. The EUROs next summer will be a real highlight!

herthabsc.de: With 65 appearances, you’re not only the most experienced player in the Czech squad, but you’re also getting close to breaking into the top 10 most capped Czechs ever, alongside players like Pavel Nedved and Milan Baros. Did you ever believe you would achieve that when you made your debut in 2012?

Darida: At the time, I was just proud and happy to be able to play for my country. You definitely don’t think about those sorts of things in the moment. I know that I’ve played the most games of everyone in the squad, but not where I stand in total…

herthabsc.de: …you are currently number 14 in that ranking. Nedved (91) and Baros (91) are still a little way off, but 10th place is just twelve caps away. 

Darida: That would be really special, no doubt. I’m still a few games off, though! (grins) Thinking about it, I must say that a lot has changed with time. The first time I was in the squad, the hierarchy was completely different – the youngsters had to sit in the corner and watch how things went! (laughs) Things are different nowadays.