Alessandro Schöpf: A good performance alone isn’t enough

Alessandro, you played well in Munich on Saturday…

Unfortunately, saying we played well doesn’t mean much when we end up empty-handed. We wanted to win in Munich, like we do with any game. However, I’m sure if we continue to perform like that week in week out we’ll get points on the board.

In the second half at the Allianz Arena, you played as a holding midfielder. Could this be an option once again against Hoffenheim as Max Meyer is out suspended?

The head coach spoke to me at half time on Saturday and said he needs me to play as a holding midfielder as Max got cautioned. It was a new position for me, I’m more used to playing as a number 8 but it wasn’t an issue because we’ve tried it in training before. I play wherever the coach wants me to and wherever I can help the team the most.

In the Hinrunde, our impressive run started on the back of two straight defeats.

That’s true. After the losses to Bayern and Hoffenheim, we got all the way to Christmas unbeaten. Maybe it’s time for us to go on another run. Anything’s possible in football. Why can’t we do it again?

What do you make of Saturday’s opponents, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim?

TSG are a good side with lots of quality amongst their ranks. It won’t be easy but we want to win.

Then, we head to Leverkusen. In the BayArena last season, you picked up a serious injury. Will you be fearful heading back to the Rheinland?

Of course, the memories will flood back as it was a tough injury. It’s not like I don’t want to play or anything though, far from it, I want to play and win.

In the DFB-Pokal, we’ve been drawn against Eintracht Frankfurt. What’s your view on the tie?

I’m happy with it. It’s a home game so we’ll have the fans behind our backs. That’s crucial for us as Frankfurt have a very strong team and the table shows that. As we saw when we went to Frankfurt, they’re a very good team and we need to be at our very best to reach the final. We want to go to Berlin!