SC Freiburg is preparing for the new season in Schruns (Austria). This is how striker Nils Petersen rates the current level of performance and the newcomers of Freiburg.
SWR Sport: If you were a coach, what would you have said about your team’s performance after SC Freiburg’s rather tough 1-1 draw against FC Vaduz on Friday evening?
Nils Petersen: You can see that there is still a lot of room for improvement. But that’s actually pretty good. An early form has never helped. And we’ve struggled in many parts of the team. But I know that myself. The first game in the training camp, right after arriving. It sounds like excuses, but it was a typical test match as we know it.
You have had meniscus surgery and will be out for a few weeks. What is your knee currently saying?
Petersen: I’m very satisfied. You shouldn’t be too euphoric, because there is always a step backwards. But right now I’m very, very satisfied with the way things have gone and I am perfectly on schedule.
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In the new season, Nils Petersen wanted to work his way up from the top joker to become a regular. He now has to put this plan on hold – just like his knee.
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At the young age of 32 you still have huge ambitions not only to play as a joker at SC Freiburg, but also to play constantly. Your trainer said the competition from the boys was immense and ‘Nils has to get involved in training’. Do you feel like you are losing important preparation time because of your injury?
Petersen: Yes, I am so disappointed that I will miss the preparation. That of course throws me back. Clearly. But the goal is still to overtake the guys and get my place in the top eleven.
That didn’t work out that often last season. But of course that’s an incentive to bring so much power back onto the pitch that the coach can’t get past me. That sounds like an empty phrase, but it’s the alpha and omega and also my motivation to get back to operating temperature as quickly as possible in my rehab.
At the start of the season, SC Freiburg will play in the Bundesliga for Arminia Bielefeld on August 14th. In your opinion, how is the sports club positioned with the many young players who have moved up from the second team?
Petersen: It’s seldom that you catch such a good U23 year group who says: We don’t have to go anywhere else. You have really great horses in your own stable. I’m actually overwhelmed myself and I have to say that there is incredible potential where you get scared because you weren’t that good yourself when you were 18.
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At the start of training at SC Freiburg, coach Christian Streich welcomed six newcomers – all of them from their own youth. And they make you want more.
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But of course we are happy that there are really good guys. There will likely be another player or two. But the way we are now positioned, we are already satisfied. We kept most of the team together. And then, with Sang-Woo Kwon and Guus Til, we lost players who we miss personally, but who hadn’t played so often that we had to react immediately.
Most recently we have players, for example Philipp Lienhart or Ermedin Demirović, who have now played another Bundesliga season, have got used to this pace and have taken another big step. So I see a lot of potential. But of course you still have to be careful.
I mean, the Bundesliga is currently a bit short of money because of the corona pandemic. Freiburg has put quite a lot of money aside. Nevertheless, it is noticeable that the very large and expensive purchases are left by the wayside. How do you rate that?
Petersen: Of course we could spend money. But of course it has to make sense. It also has to fit as a team. You don’t want to blow everything up just because you somehow see a top player on the market that SC Freiburg would like to bring to the Breisgau. Because you can’t throw money out either.
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After a strong last season, the SC Freiburg team could cause a stir again in the new season. So far, the Breisgauer hardly have to fear any departures.
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So we have to see that the price-performance ratio is right. And so far nothing has happened where we say it was somehow worth it.
Maybe we got one or the other rejection. But I do believe that Freiburg is an interesting location and that it has become even more interesting over the years. This is where players can develop incredibly well. We showed that with Luca Waldschmidt, Robin Koch etc.
The manager speaks a little bit from you. You are now 32 years old, will probably play another two, three, four years – and then maybe go into management. Have you ever thought of something like this?
Petersen: I haven’t really dealt with that yet. Of course I love football and would like to stay true to myself. But I still enjoy playing too much. And we have very good managers ourselves, whom I want to convince that you can plan with me. And that’s the first goal for now.
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