Hofmann: “Staying competitive in all three competitions”

Following the short break over the Christmas period, Jonas Hofmann sat down to discuss the time off, his current physical condition, and looking forward to the second half of the season. The midfielder on...

…the shortened winter break: It was nice to be able to switch off for a few days. I spent the time with my family and enjoyed it very much. On Christmas Eve we had a lovely meal and a glass of wine, which was great.

…the second half of the season: Even though it was only a short break, I'm looking forward to getting started again. We’re still in three competitions and can achieve a lot this season. We’ve made it to the round of 16 in the DFB-Pokal and are looking forward to the draw on Sunday. We’re facing a top team in the Champions League in Manchester City in the last 16 of that tournament. In terms of the Bundesliga, we could be doing a little bit better but we’re not far off where we want to be and have every chance of achieving success there as well.

…his current physical condition: I was out for around five weeks with my injury, and of course that takes its toll. I was very happy to get back out there on the pitch before the break though, and to at least have played a half in the DFB-Pokal. I’m sure I’ll need a game or two to get back to 100% fitness, but I’ll give it everything I’ve got to help the team again as soon as possible.

…his sporting New Year’s resolutions: The most important thing for me is staying injury-free in the coming year. That’s what every footballer wants; it’s the most precious thing for an athlete. With the team, what I want is for us to stay competitive in all three competitions that we’re in. Maybe we can beat Manchester City and turn that record around, who knows! In the DFB-Pokal, we want to get as far as possible and in the Bundesliga, we’re aiming for a similar finish as last season in the top four. If we manage to achieve all of that, it would be a successful season all round.

…the upcoming Bundesliga match against Arminia Bielefeld: We’ve already seen that Bielefeld are a dangerous team and they’re capable of causing a lot of problems for opponents. We cannot underestimate Arminia under any circumstances. We’ll go all out to take the three points. That would be ideal and would get 2021 off to the perfect start.