Interview with Lukas Hradecky before a duel with Eintracht Frankfurt

Talking to Lukas Hradecky is in a good mood.

The Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper always has a smile on his face, a little joke is never missing. But Hradecky’s (sometimes self-critical) words carry weight.

Before the duel at his former club Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga: Eintracht Frankfurt – Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Saturday from 3.30 p.m. in LIVETICKER) the Finn took care of himself SPORT1 Time and looked back – but also forward.

SPORT1: Mr Hradecky, the Christmas break was very short. Did you still enjoy your free time?

Lukas Hradecky: Yes I could. We were happy that we could go home by moving the DFB Cup game. That was important to all of us. I was able to dangle my body and head and was with my family. You are privileged to be able to go home during this time and see your family.

Hradecky on level of play: “We need the fans”

SPORT1: The break was really extremely short this time. The new year starts with an emotional blast against your ex-club Eintracht Frankfurt. So far you have not been able to win at your old place of work. What are the reasons for this?

Hradecky: I still have good contact with Jan Zimmermann (Goalkeeping coach Eintracht Frankfurt, note by the author. Red.), he was already my colleague back then. We talked about it and it’s true that I haven’t won with Leverkusen in Frankfurt yet. Eintracht always plays very strongly against top teams. They hurt the opponents especially at home games, I only remember the 5-1 win against FC Bayern Munich. But Gladbach and Dortmund were also a bit lucky in their draws this year. Bigger clubs always had problems in Frankfurt. We know that, but we want to continue our strong streak from the old year.

SPORT1: Bayer arrives at Eintracht as second in the table. Will you be the favorite? (The table of the Bundesliga)

Hradecky: From a table you can say that we are the favorites. But Eintracht has shown stability and the team has quality. Frankfurt has only lost twice this season. But what stands out: It is an advantage for all of us when the spectators are there. But Eintracht is usually even harder to beat with their fans behind them.

SPORT1: You address the issue of viewers. How difficult is it to play football without an audience?

Hradecky: I think everyone has understood that we’re not just playing for the fans who come to the stadium. On the other hand, we also need the fans to fully utilize our qualities. Of course there were ghost games at a good level, but football lives from full stadiums, we players want and need these emotions and the exchange with the fans. I hope that the situation will change in 2021 and that we will be able to play in front of spectators again.

Hradecky about his ex-club: That shows the greatness of unity

SPORT1: How closely do you continue to follow your ex-club?

Hradecky: I haven’t seen that many games live. But when I have the time and unity plays, I tune in and watch the earlier years with extra thoughts. I’m proud of my time in Frankfurt and look back with pleasure. But of course I still want to win on Saturday (laughs). (Bundesliga schedule and results)

SPORT1: Professionals who change clubs are then greeted with more or less loud whistles on their first visits. However, they received applause and a lot of encouragement. What does this appreciation mean to you?

Hradecky: Maybe it’s because I did my job in Frankfurt. But regardless of that, Eintracht has great fans. No matter how long you’ve played there, they always respect you. That shows the size of the club. But the connections weren’t only there in the stadium, I also got on very well with my neighbors. I only have fond memories of Frankfurt. I have positive memories of the people in Hessen. It was nice that I was allowed to be there for three years.

SPORT1: Still, there could have been a kink in the relationship. Their contract talks had dragged on for a long time, and terms like “money vulture” were used in the meantime. In retrospect, should you have communicated differently?

Hradecky: In general, of course, it wasn’t an ideal situation for any of us. I drew my conclusions from this and learned. But the limits of insults were never exceeded. In any case, the events did not have a lasting effect on my relationship with Eintracht, including the fans.

Hradecky on FC Bayern: They have this gene

SPORT1: But let’s look at Bayer Leverkusen. Only a few seconds were missing and you would have taken a short break as winter champion. Are you afraid of a kink?

Hradecky: Thanks for this reminder (laughs). It was the last game in 2020, and the holiday was good because the defeat was hard to digest. We must now learn from it. It must no longer happen to us that we bring ourselves into such problems. In the end it was a lucky goal because Robert Lewandowski’s shot was deflected. There were several moments before when we should have knocked the ball away. At the same time, we shouldn’t ruin our strong streak because we lost to what is currently the best team in the world.

SPORT1: But can you learn something at FC Bayern? Bayer apparently lacked the last bit of greed and will on the day.

Hradecky: When you think of FC Bayern, the term “will to win” comes to mind. And then they score a typical Bayern goal against us. They just have this gene. Both teams had a lot of games in their bones, it was actually a 1-1 game. Maybe in the end we really missed that last belief, but we are on the way there.

The Bundesliga highlights on Sunday from 9.30 a.m. in Bundesliga Pur on TV on SPORT1

SPORT1: You too had a small share in the defeat, when you equalized you made a mistake. In general, however, even with a view to the Frankfurt times, it is noticeable that you seem extremely stable mentally and shake yourself quickly. What’s your secret

Hradecky: It’s nice that people perceive it that way. Of course, it’s not easy to shake off mistakes. But I’ve been in the business for a long time. You have to see mistakes as an opportunity and learn how to act better next time. I keep making myself aware of that. It’s easier said than done, but I just keep going. I worked on it myself, without professional help. A social round with my father and family is often enough for me. They’ll joke about the mistake and that’s it. This combination has always helped me. But in 2020 I had a few too many unhappy moments. I’m working on that and want to do better in 2021.

Can Wirtz make Havertz forget?

SPORT1: So far, the people in front of you have helped you very well. Bayer lost two stars with Kai Havertz and Kevin Volland. How were you able to close this gap so well?

Hradecky: One to one, Kai Havertz and Kevin Volland cannot be replaced. We had to change a few things about the way we played. Players like Nadiem Amiri and Kerem Demirbay have now taken on more responsibility. Lucas Alario was super effective and scored a lot of goals. After the departure of Havertz and Volland, the players did not let themselves be put under pressure and just did their thing. The team spirit helped, and the rotation made everyone realize that everyone is important.

SPORT1: Which factor does coach Peter Bosz make?

Hradecky: Peter Bosz plays an important role for Bayer. He is the most intelligent football coach I’ve worked with so far. The relationship with the players is world class and he has many one-on-one conversations. This calm and satisfaction rubs off on the entire team and is one of the reasons for our good run.

Test DAZN for free and experience the Bundesliga on demand | DISPLAY

SPORT1: Peter Bosz also promotes young talent. Florian Wirtz trumps. Do you dare to compare it with Kai Havertz?

Hradecky: Of course, that’s not so easy when compared to Kai Havertz. But Florian Wirtz put up with that very well. He is only 17 years old and the fact that he is performing so well is a big surprise for me too. Everyone would have expected that they would play weaker or make a slip. But so far you can’t say that Florian played badly even once. He has already shown a very mature Bundesliga level.

SPORT1: Are you slowly maturing into a top team overall?

Hradecky: When we talk about FC Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund, we are talking about world-class teams. We also want to belong. If you regularly call up your top performance, win titles and play in the Champions League, then at some point you will be one of the big clubs. Those are things that take time, but if we play well long enough and stay in the top four, then we can mature into a team like that.

Hradecky is looking forward to the 2021 European Championship with Finland

SPORT1: The European championship is also on the program in 2021. What do you think Finland can do? Are you looking forward to the tournament?

Hradecky: The cancellation of the European Championship was, of course, a hard blow that we all had to digest. Hopefully the tournament will be the cherry on the cake in 2021. We’re really looking forward to the tournament, the longer break may have been good for us. In the Nations League we were able to gain experience and improve. I expect a lot from us and hope that we won’t just play a minor role at the EM.

SPORT1: The Corona year 2020, which is so difficult for everyone, is now finally over. What is your conclusion at the end of a year that nobody will forget?

Hradecky: It was not an easy year for me in terms of sport or personally. But the lack of human contact has also created a new awareness. Sometimes you might not feel like doing an interview, now you were happy about the exchange. Or the visit to Grandma was something very special. These are small things that are valued. I was also often alone. I usually get a lot of visits from friends and family for every home game. I missed all of that, so I couldn’t switch off naturally as usual.

SPORT1: At the start of the new year: Please give answers to these theses. First: Bayer is a candidate for the title!

Hradecky: In tabular form, it looks pretty good. But whenever we talked about winning the title ourselves, we crashed. Sorry guys, but that’s why there is only the classic answer from me: We have to look from game to game and I hope that we can get involved in the top.

SPORT1: Second: Bayer is ready to win the Europa League!

Hradecky: Last season we were definitely eliminated from the Europa League tournament too early. We want to stay longer this year. There are not many laps left – we want to go very far.

SPORT1: Third: You defeat your former club Eintracht Frankfurt in the second round of the cup!

Hradecky: Yes, we can do that. We have the home advantage on our side in this duel. Maybe there will be a penalty shoot-out, but I’ve already had good experience there. (laughs)

–