"The games are played at a great rhythm"
It’s a typically cold December day in Berlin as Stevan Jovetić leaves the training pitch. Although Tayfun Korkut and his coaching team had already put the players through their paces, ‘Jove’ took the opportunity together with Prince Boateng to practice his shooting. Doing some extra work is just the norm for the experienced striker, just like scoring spectacular goals is. “I’m happy to be here. My family like Berlin and we feel all at home. The only thing that I don’t like is that it’s cold here! Otherwise, everything else is great,” said the Montenegro international. The 32-year-old spoke to herthabsc.com about his performances so far, his favourite position on the pitch and the final few games of 2021.
herthabsc.com: Stevan, you started our comeback with a beautiful curling effort in Stuttgart – your second stunning goal for Hertha after your strike against Leverkusen. Do you still work on your technique and shots like this?
Jovetić: Yes, I have to as a striker. My job is to score goals for the team, and when they’re goals like that, I’m even happier. These goals are the ones I enjoy scoring the most – I’ll continue training hard to be able to produce more moments like this.
herthabsc.com: You played on the left wing a lot at the start of the season, but have moved more centrally recently. It looks like you’re happier there.
Jovetić: Definitely! I think my time on the wing is more than likely over. I was able to move more there when I was younger. In the meantime though, I prefer a role more centrally, preferably up front.
herthabsc.com: You formed a dangerous strike partnership with Ishak Belfodil in Stuttgart. Do you prefer having someone by your side? How does that change your game?
Jovetić: I like attacking with another teammate next to me. It makes things easier for both of us. We can coordinate things with one another, make different moves and even drop deeper sometimes for example. If we work well together, like Ishak and I did in Stuttgart, it’s a lot harder for the defenders to defend against you across the whole 90 minutes. We did a good job together against VfB!
herthabsc.com: Since moving to Berlin you’ve had to deal with a few setbacks. Despite a calf injury and a Coronavirus infection, you’ve still netted five goals in 10 games in all competitions for Hertha. How happy are you with that record?
Jovetić: I’m really pleased so far, especially when I look at how many minutes I’ve played.
herthabsc.com: You require less than 120 minutes per goal at the moment.
Jovetić: That’s a good record. I want to build on that and continue to help the team this season. I believe I can play even better too!
herthabsc.com: In the summer, you spoke to us about what you thought of each of Europe’s top leagues. Now you’ve been playing in the Bundesliga for half a year, where would you place it in relation to the others?
Jovetić: I really enjoy playing in the Bundesliga, a lot of football gets played here. The matches are non-stop action and the teams don’t seem to be that fussed about sticking to their tactics, so the games are played at a good rhythm, which is great! The league is full of quality individuals, which also makes it fun to play here.
herthabsc.com: You’ve not only been getting used to playing in the top tier of German football in the last few months, but also to living in Berlin. Are you starting to feel at home at the club and in the city?
Jovetić: I’m very happy to be here! It may be going a bit far to say that I feel at home here, but Berlin is an amazing city. My family are enjoying it and we all feel very comfortable here, which is also an important part of it. My only complaint is that it is far too cold here, but apart from that it’s great (laughs)!
[>]I’m very happy to be here! Berlin is an amazing city. My family are enjoying it and we all feel very comfortable here. My only complaint is that it is far too cold here, but apart from that it’s great[<]
herthabsc.com: Let’s go back to talking about football, and the home stretch for Hertha before the winter break. You’ve got three games in seven days coming up, what are you expecting from the matches against Bielefeld, Mainz and Dortmund?
Jovetić: They will each be demanding fixtures in their own right. Arminia trail us in the table and will be very keen to pick up some points in Berlin, and the matches against Mainz and Dortmund will be anything but simple. I do think we should play to win in all of these games, though! We need to give it our all so that we can pick up as many points as possible ahead of the winter break so that we can go into it relatively relaxed and in good spirits.
herthabsc.com: The start to this busy period is the Bielefeld game. What are you expecting from the opposition, who are currently in the relegation zone?
Jovetić: Home games like these are often tough, because both teams want to and need to win. We need to give it our all. If, as a team, we can bring all our quality onto the pitch and work hard for each other, than that will be the deciding factor that gets us the win!