Intervjuu Arjen Robbeniga
After the shock of your injury in the summer, the year seems to be ending on a more positive note for you personally.Arjen Robben: Yes indeed. The most important thing for me now is a fresh start with the team on January the second. I’m off on vacation now, although I won’t just be lazing around. I’ll keep up my training, so I’m in good shape on 2 January and capable of competing the full squad programme.
You resumed the team workouts in mid-December. Could you have done without the winter break?No, I sense I need the break now. I’m pretty exhausted, because the last few months have been very tiring, both physically and mentally. A vacation now is a good idea, so I can start again at 100 percent.
How did it go after you rejoined the team for training?It was super. Naturally, we couldn’t immediately expect it to be like it was before. When you’ve not trained with the team for five months, you need time to get used to it again. But it’s all happening very fast, I must say. I feel great, and I’m in good physical shape.
Has the medical unit had to hold you back at all?I’ve never needed a coach or a physiotherapist to fire me up. I motivate myself to work hard, especially in the current situation. So yes, I do occasionally need to be ordered to take it easy. No-one has to tell me to step up my efforts.
You weren’t aware of the injury yourself, so how has it affected you mentally? Are you ‘listening’ to your body a little more closely now?No, there’s no change. I know my body well, and I’ve always put in extra work on top of daily team training. And the doctors and the physios always keep an eye on me. We have a fantastic team, headed by Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt.
The coach has said he wants to field you for 20 minutes in the restart fixture against Wolfsburg. Were you pleased to hear that?Over the last few months, I’ve often been told I shouldn’t look too far into the future. So I’m saying only this: today is today, tomorrow is tomorrow – and I’m not looking any further ahead than that. I’m feeling very good at the moment, and we’ll see how it looks on 15 January. If it’s 20 minutes, it’s 20 minutes, and that’s for the coach to decide. What matters to me right now is being part of the team again.
In your absence, Bayern have performed below expectations in the first half of the Bundesliga season. Do you sense a certain amount of pressure, because so many people are saying: Bayern will mount a serious challenge once Arjen Robben’s back?I’ve been hearing that too, and I do want to be playing an important role for the team as soon as possible. But let’s bear in mind I’ve not played for six months. It won’t simply be the case that everything’s fine again just because I’m on the field. It's just not as easy as that.
How long do you think you’ll need before recovering peak form?I don’t know. I can only promise that I’ll give it more than 100 percent, with the aim of being back to my best as soon as possible.
Do you believe Bayern can actually catch up in the Bundesliga?We have to be realistic, and we also have to show respect to our rivals. It's been a superb first half of the season from Dortmund, and their 14-point lead over us isn’t undeserved. But anything can happen in football. We’ll give it everything we’ve got as of January the second and see if we can put together a long winning run. But whatever, it’s not going to be easy.
The Champions League Round of 16 tie is a chance for revenge against Inter Milan. What’s your take on the situation?The idea of a revenge mission doesn’t matter so much to me. Basically, it’ll be tough work against Inter, who are tactically strong and good in defence. In any case, Italian teams are always good in competitions like the Champions League.
What’s your greatest wish for the new year?The most important thing is fitness and health. And by the end of the season, I’m hoping for at least one trophy.
After the shock of your injury in the summer, the year seems to be ending on a more positive note for you personally.Arjen Robben: Yes indeed. The most important thing for me now is a fresh start with the team on January the second. I’m off on vacation now, although I won’t just be lazing around. I’ll keep up my training, so I’m in good shape on 2 January and capable of competing the full squad programme.
You resumed the team workouts in mid-December. Could you have done without the winter break?No, I sense I need the break now. I’m pretty exhausted, because the last few months have been very tiring, both physically and mentally. A vacation now is a good idea, so I can start again at 100 percent.
How did it go after you rejoined the team for training?It was super. Naturally, we couldn’t immediately expect it to be like it was before. When you’ve not trained with the team for five months, you need time to get used to it again. But it’s all happening very fast, I must say. I feel great, and I’m in good physical shape.
Has the medical unit had to hold you back at all?I’ve never needed a coach or a physiotherapist to fire me up. I motivate myself to work hard, especially in the current situation. So yes, I do occasionally need to be ordered to take it easy. No-one has to tell me to step up my efforts.
You weren’t aware of the injury yourself, so how has it affected you mentally? Are you ‘listening’ to your body a little more closely now?No, there’s no change. I know my body well, and I’ve always put in extra work on top of daily team training. And the doctors and the physios always keep an eye on me. We have a fantastic team, headed by Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt.
The coach has said he wants to field you for 20 minutes in the restart fixture against Wolfsburg. Were you pleased to hear that?Over the last few months, I’ve often been told I shouldn’t look too far into the future. So I’m saying only this: today is today, tomorrow is tomorrow – and I’m not looking any further ahead than that. I’m feeling very good at the moment, and we’ll see how it looks on 15 January. If it’s 20 minutes, it’s 20 minutes, and that’s for the coach to decide. What matters to me right now is being part of the team again.
In your absence, Bayern have performed below expectations in the first half of the Bundesliga season. Do you sense a certain amount of pressure, because so many people are saying: Bayern will mount a serious challenge once Arjen Robben’s back?I’ve been hearing that too, and I do want to be playing an important role for the team as soon as possible. But let’s bear in mind I’ve not played for six months. It won’t simply be the case that everything’s fine again just because I’m on the field. It's just not as easy as that.
How long do you think you’ll need before recovering peak form?I don’t know. I can only promise that I’ll give it more than 100 percent, with the aim of being back to my best as soon as possible.
Do you believe Bayern can actually catch up in the Bundesliga?We have to be realistic, and we also have to show respect to our rivals. It's been a superb first half of the season from Dortmund, and their 14-point lead over us isn’t undeserved. But anything can happen in football. We’ll give it everything we’ve got as of January the second and see if we can put together a long winning run. But whatever, it’s not going to be easy.
The Champions League Round of 16 tie is a chance for revenge against Inter Milan. What’s your take on the situation?The idea of a revenge mission doesn’t matter so much to me. Basically, it’ll be tough work against Inter, who are tactically strong and good in defence. In any case, Italian teams are always good in competitions like the Champions League.
What’s your greatest wish for the new year?The most important thing is fitness and health. And by the end of the season, I’m hoping for at least one trophy.
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