Santiago Ascacíbar on the pitch.
First team | August 20, 2021, 04:01 PM

"Football without fans? Impossible!"

Santiago Ascacíbar had to take it easy at the start of the week, but by mid-week he was back to his usual energetic self on the training pitch. The midfielder completed countless runs, tackles and sprints under the supervision of fitness coach Henrik Kuchno. “I didn’t take part on Tuesday due to a slight thigh injury just to be safe. But, I will definitely be able to play on Saturday,” he said. Ascacíbar has already been sidelined once this season after picking up a concussion in the pre-season friendly against Liverpool. He then started both the DFB-Pokal first-round game as well as the Bundesliga season opener in Cologne. In an interview with herthabsc.de, our No. 18 spoke about the lessons learned from the Köln game, the return of the fans and our upcoming opponents from Wolfsburg.

herthabsc.com: Santi, on Saturday (21/08/21, 15:30 CEST), you will face off against VfL Wolfsburg. How excited are you for the game, seeing as you’ll finally be able to welcome the fans back to the Olympiastadion?

Ascacíbar: Of course we’re very excited! The Olympiastadion is incredible and when our fans are cheering us on for the full 90 minutes, that really motivates us. Football without fans just isn’t the same. It’s a bit like sitting around a campfire in Argentina and not having any mate to drink (grins).

herthabsc.com: Wolfsburg will be competing in the Champions League this season. What will you need to do in order to beat the Wolves and their head coach, Mark van Bommel?

Ascacíbar: We need to be strong for the entire game, and defend with passion as a team. But, we also need to look to attack and to score ourselves. Wolfsburg are a strong team, and we need a great performance over the full 90 minutes. But, like I said, we can do with the support of our fans.

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The Olympiastadion is incredible and when our fans are cheering us on for the full 90 minutes, that really motivates us. Football without fans just isn’t the same. It’s a bit like sitting around a campfire in Argentina and not having any mate to drink!
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-Santiago Ascacíbar

herthabsc.com: After going undefeated in pre-season and winning the first-round DFB-Pokal game, you opened the league campaign with a defeat, despite leading against 1. FC Köln. How frustrating was that loss

Ascacíbar: The defeat really hurt us all. We really wanted to get off to a good start in the season and we did manage to start well into the game. It’s frustrating that we threw away our lead and that we weren’t able to take something from the game. Even worse, we lost. That was really tough.

herthabsc.com: Pál Dárdai said that you guys were too easily satisfied after 30 minutes and that you then lost control of the game. What conclusions have you drawn from the game?

Ascacíbar: We need to play well for the full 90 minutes plus injury time in every Bundesliga game. A good 30 or 45 minutes aren’t enough for a win. All our opponents are far too strong for that. It all starts with having the right mentality!  

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We need to play well for the full 90 minutes plus injury time in every Bundesliga game. A good 30 or 45 minutes aren’t enough for a win.
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-Santiago Ascacíbar

herthabsc.com: Time for a bit of an off-topic question: your fellow countryman Lionel Messi has left Barcelona and will now play for Paris Saint-Germain. What do you make of this move?

Ascacíbar: Messi is an incredible player. He has shaped a world-class club like Barcelona for so many years, scored a number of goals and won many trophies. Yes, he was part of some very strong squads, but he was better than everyone. Personally, I think it’s sad that he didn’t end his career at Barça. But, he’s the one who has to know what’s best for him and his family which is why we should accept that he’s made the decision that’s right for him.

by Hertha BSC