Cedric Teuchert: I can learn from Burgi

Cedric, you suffered a concussion a few days ago and that is why you did not play in Aue. What happened?
That was an unlucky moment in training. I collided into our goalkeeper Michael Langer. He caught me cleanly.

Is your head still ringing?
Still a bit but compared to the last few days it has got a lot better. I don’t think it will be long before I can train again with the team. It was indeed a small setback to be sitting out some of pre-season training and has put me two or three days behind, but no more than that.

You experienced your first ever Royal Blues night at the national park in Upper Tauern. Did you enjoy the evening?
The fact that so many fans are always around during our training sessions in Gelsenkirchen is something I have experienced every week. But the incredible support at the training camp was something I’d never seen before. I cannot properly put it into words. When you see how many fans have joined us, it really is an enormous amount. We as a team are very grateful for the support. For me it was also a successful evening in terms of football (laughs). I beat Daniel Caligiuri at darts.

You have already scored two goals during the pre-season friendlies. Do those goals give you extra confidence?
Definitely. Especially as they were my first two goals for Schalke. That gives me momentum for the coming weeks and months.

You have also proven your reliability to score goals impressively in the past few months with the U21 national team. When do you think you will net your first competitive goal for Schalke?
I hope that it won’t be much longer. I have been close on many occasions. I was only just short in Augsburg and against Frankfurt. I especially should have scored at least one goal against Frankfurt.

You are very versatile in attack. Which position do you most prefer playing in?
I really like playing up front together with a second striker, just as I did in the last friendly in Essen. But everything else is also not a problem for me.

What has Domenico Tedesco’s feedback been to you?
The coach speaks a lot with me. He says when something has gone well but also explains what I need to do better. When I moved here in January, Domenico Tedesco explained to me what he envisaged for me and told me that I would slowly be introduced to the first team. These exchanges are very important for me. I know that the coach trusts me and that he has given me enough time to get used to things. I want to pay back that confidence with my performances.

You made four Bundesliga appearances and two in the DFB Pokal in the second half of last season. Were you hoping for more playing time than that when you joined?
Just like any other footballer, I obviously want to play as much as possible but I haven’t put any pressure on myself because Christian Heidel, Domenico Tedesco and assistant coach Peter Perchtold said how they view me. The path we have been following is exactly the right one. Now, after half a year of getting used to things, I want to be fully involved.

Have you settled in well in the area?
I must admit that it was very difficult in the first few weeks missing my home town and family but since the team made it very easy for me and I also found a good flat quickly, I feel very happy here now.

Is there one teammate in particular from who you can learn a lot?
Burgi is definitely somebody to look up to. I can learn a lot from him. He speaks with me very often, we get on brilliantly and we know each other from our time together at Nürnberg. His performances over the last year and a half have really impressed me. It is difficult to replicate what Guido has achieved.

You will be reunited with your former club, 1. FC Nürnberg in November. Will the clash with them be a personal highlight for you?
Every match is a highlight for me but obviously, seeing all those from FCN again will be something special. Nürnberg is my home town, I am still in contact with many of my former teammates. But those friendships will be put to one side during the 90 minutes on the pitch. We want to take all three points there as we do in every game.

Every kid dreams of playing in the Champions League one day. Did you have an idol in your childhood who you tried to emulate?
There were a few. Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry… I am very grateful to have the chance to be able to play in the Champions League soon myself. The atmosphere when the Champions League tune is played and you run out into the stadium will definitely give me goosebumps.

The groups will be drawn at the end of August. Is there a stadium where you would really like to play in?
Only one? I can name a few. The Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Anfield in Liverpool, Old Trafford in Manchester. The list could go on. When you look at which teams are in the top pot, it can only be a special evening.