Lewis Holtby is captaining Holstein Kiel in the northern German team’s first Bundesliga season. In an exclusive SPORT1 interview, the 33-year-old talks about the Kiel team’s secret to success, the Bundesliga challenge and a special duel in the DFB Cup.
Lewis Holtby was once part of Thomas Tuchel’s much-loved “Bruchweg Boys” at Mainz 05. He later played for the big traditional clubs Hamburger SV and FC Schalke 04, and was also active in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur and FC Fulham.
{
“placeholderType”: “MREC”
}
In the summer of 2021, he moved to tranquil Kiel and celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga with Holstein Kiel in May – and has thus also found late personal happiness there.
In the exclusive SPORTS1In this interview, the 33-year-old captain talks about the secret of Holstein Kiel’s success, the challenge of the Bundesliga, his role as a leading player and a very special game for him in the DFB Cup.
SPORT1: Mr. Holtby, can you understand why Holstein Kiel is often mentioned as the number one candidate for relegation?
{
“placeholderType”: “MREC”
}
Lewis Holtby: We had this role last season, when everyone thought we were a candidate for relegation in the 2. Bundesliga and would end up between 13th and 18th place. And now, a year later, we are talking about the Bundesliga. Of course, there are many big clubs in the Bundesliga, which is why we are often ranked at the bottom. But we have 34 match days to show the critics that we will not be relegated. We are going into the season with humility, but we will not be afraid and will not hide. We do not see the Bundesliga as an adventure, but want to have a very good season and give it our all.
Relegation? “That will be an enormous challenge”
SPORT1: What do you think is more difficult: getting promoted to the Bundesliga or staying in the Bundesliga?
Holtby: Statistically, promotion is more difficult because you have to leave 15 or 16 teams behind you – to avoid relegation in the Bundesliga, two or better three teams are enough. But the best clubs play in the Bundesliga. That will be an enormous challenge. But we have seen in the past how many supposed “underdogs” have been able to establish themselves in the Bundesliga: Freiburg, Mainz, Augsburg, and now Heidenheim. These clubs also started small and developed further.
SPORT1: What does it say about football when clubs like Holstein Kiel or 1. FC Heidenheim play in the Bundesliga and big traditional clubs like your former clubs FC Schalke 04 or Hamburger SV are stuck in the 2nd division?
{
“placeholderType”: “MREC”
}
Holtby: This shows that in the end everything is decided on the pitch and continuity is important. I am also a fan of traditional clubs. I would like to see these clubs experience their glory days again soon because they have a great appeal for German football. We as Holstein Kiel or a club like Heidenheim, for example, have consistently worked well, stayed true to themselves and given it our all. Then it is well deserved that such clubs are allowed to play among the best 18 in Germany.
SPORT1: You experienced a hectic environment at Hamburger SV or FC Schalke 04. Is it easier to play freely at a club like Kiel?
Holtby: Yes, of course, you can’t compare them because there are high expectations in clubs like these, which have a lot of members. Nevertheless, there are also smaller clubs that quickly panic when things aren’t going well. It was different here in Kiel. I’ve been here for three years now and I’ve seen that people stay calm and focus on their work even in difficult times. It was always about how they can improve and develop further. These are important factors for continued success. I think that no matter how big a club is, the most important thing is cohesion and believing in the project.
Duels with top clubs: “The most important thing is the basics”
SPORT1: Holstein Kiel was a dominant and strong team in the 2nd Bundesliga. Can this continue in the Bundesliga or does the playing philosophy need to be adapted?
Holtby: I think that if we change our face or play a different style of football on the pitch, we won’t be successful. That’s what made us successful last season: the variability in the game, the intensity with and against the ball. But these are also things that we obviously want to refine and improve.
SPORT1: Can your style of play prevail against teams like Bayern Munich or Bayer Leverkusen, who are your opponents within the first six match days? Your team is likely to have little possession in these games…
{
“placeholderType”: “MREC”
}
Holtby: The most important thing is the basics: running, fighting, tactical discipline, defending your own goal, getting everyone behind the ball, helping each other, communicating well. That is the priority. If we can do that on the pitch, I am optimistic that we can have a good season. The aim is to improve in the first few match days so that people can see that we are developing. Last season, things didn’t go well from the start either; we had a big shake-up in the squad. But we improved and had important winning streaks over the course of the season.
SPORT1: The first competitive match of the season is in the DFB Cup against third division newcomers Alemannia Aachen. How big is the risk of stumbling in a match like this?
Holtby: At Alemannia Aachen is very euphoric because of their promotion. They started the season with a win and a draw and are already in the rhythm of their game. It will be a tough fight. I know what it’s like to play in front of a full crowd in Aachen. I’ve played in Aachen with Mainz in the cup before. We went there as Bundesliga leaders and lost straight away in the new stadium. So I’m warned about what’s coming. It’s a special game for me anyway. I played there as a youth, was a fan in the old Tivoli and later became a professional there. Aachen is a special place for me.
{
“placeholderType”: “MREC”
}
Holtby praises coach Marcel Rapp
SPORT1: Back to your team: Kiel has lost two absolutely key players in Tom Rothe and Philipp Sander. The new arrivals mainly come from abroad or from lower leagues and are not yet familiar with the Bundesliga. Do you still believe that the team is of better quality than in the promotion season?
Holtby: Of course, two important regular players, Rothe and Sander, have left. We have to compensate for that first. Nevertheless, we have brought in good, development-capable players who have already shown their qualities in the pre-season. For example, we have filled the left-back position with Tymoteusz Puchacz, who played in the 2. Bundesliga (He was on loan from Union Berlin to Kaiserslautern, editor’s note.) played a top season. Ultimately, we are a team that will prevail through solidarity.
SPORT1: Coach Marcel Rapp took over Holstein Kiel in 2021 when the team suddenly found itself in a relegation battle after a failed Bundesliga relegation. Since then, things have been going steeply uphill. What sets him apart as a coach?
Holtby: What I value most is his straightforwardness and his humanity. He sticks to what he says, is honest and open and is very good at communicating – with everyone, whether a young or an experienced player. He has a very meticulous approach to playing football. That’s why I’m very confident in him as a coach and hope that he will continue on this path with us for a long time to come.
SPORT1: Was the promotion the greatest success of your career?
Holtby: The promotion is definitely extremely important to me. But I have been involved in professional football for 16, 17 years now and have experienced many great moments and highlights. I was able to play for Germany, I played in the Champions League, and now the promotion was an extremely great moment. And who knows, maybe there will be a few more great moments…
Kiel: “State capital with great potential”
SPORT1: Is the former handball city of Kiel now a football city?
Holtby: Yes definitely. A lot has happened to this club in recent years. They reached the DFB Cup semi-finals and were twice in the Bundesliga relegation rounds, which put Kiel more and more on the map. At the promotion celebrations, you could see how many people are behind Holstein Kiel – the whole city. The Bundesliga will make interest even greater. THW Kiel has of course already achieved this in handball for many years. Kiel is a state capital with great potential.
SPORT1: You just mentioned how long you have been active in professional football. You became known in Germany when you shook up the Bundesliga in Mainz together with Adam Szalai and André Schürrle as the “Bruchweg Boys”. Do you have a different view of football today as a captain and family man than you did back then?
Holtby: Yes, a few years have passed since then. Since Mainz, I have experienced a number of places, moves, other leagues and a variety of scenarios. Of course, back then you were more carefree. Now you are a bit more mature and have other tasks that also take place off the pitch. It is also about keeping the team together, having conversations, helping in certain situations and being there as a contact person. I am always happy when younger players in particular ask me and get advice.
SPORT1: So was Kiel the right club at the right time?
Holtby: Absolutely. I really wanted to come here in 2021 because I had the feeling that this was exactly the right club for me. Simply because of the way football is played and worked here. I have now been in Kiel for three years, the club has developed further and now plays in the Bundesliga. You can see that many things have become more and more professional and, for example, more employees have been added. But the development is certainly not over yet.
