Patrick Herrmann spoke about pre-season, his first impressions of new head coach Adi Hütter and the upcoming training camp at Klosterpforte.
Flaco, pre-season has been underway now for over a week. How has it been so far?
Herrmann: Pre-season has been intense, but good too. The intensity is just part of it. It’s fun to have a ball at my feet again after more than four weeks away.
Adi Hütter has taken over as head coach this summer. What are your first impressions of him?
Herrmann: I think Adi Hütter fits us really well, especially because of the way we like to counter and press. He wants us to be disciplined and work hard, which will benefit all of us.
Things can change when a new coach arrives. You were mainly used as a substitute under Marco Rose – do you think you’ll get more chances under Adi Hütter?
Herrmann: I think I’ve got the same chances in pre-season as in previous years. It’s important to work hard and perform well.
You wore the captain’s armband in the friendly against Viktoria Köln on Saturday. Even though it was just a friendly, how did that feel?
Herrmann: I have worn it once before in a friendly, but it was still a nice moment which made me proud. There’s not necessarily an actual captain because we all regularly speak to each other, although Lars Stindl is of course the official captain.
Fans returned for the game against Viktoria. After almost one and a half years without supporters, did that take some getting used to?
Herrmann: It was really cool to have fans back. Although it was only around 1,000, it was nice to hear some noise from the stands when there was a goal for example. It was a really great feeling and we’re all looking forward to more fans coming back soon. Football lives off those emotions and we feel those emotions from the stands. At the start, it felt slightly unusual that it was louder. You couldn’t just shout instructions to your teammate across the pitch like before.
Next up is a friendly in Paderborn on Saturday, then a training camp in Klosterpforte. What are your expectations for that one-week camp?
Herrmann: We know it from last year – the setup is great there. The pitch is right next to you, the rooms and food are nice and it’s just a super place overall. I’m expecting a tough week, where we’ll work really hard.
As the lads who were on international duty this summer are now on holiday, a number of youngsters are training with the first team. What have you made of them so far?
Herrmann: They’ve made a really good impression. As they are so young, you can see that they still need to learn a lot and gain more experience. They’ve integrated very well into training, they’re working hard and they show that they want the ball. They’re all great footballers. They’re good on the ball already and the rest will come.
Team supervisor Rolf Hülswitt celebrates his 80th birthday today. What’s special about him and what did the team gift him?
Herrmann: We’ve already sang for him. I’ve known him since I’ve been with the first team. It’s amazing that he’s been at Borussia for so long. We joke about with him and have a laugh. The team also gave him a present. Rolf collects model railways so we gave him another one for his collection.
