An interview with Boris Vukcevic

Boris, last week you had to endure a difficult 0-4 loss to FC Bayern München. Is that match still playing on your mind?

No. That match has been written off in our heads because it was a very poor performance by the team. However, I'd rather lose heavily once and do everything wrong than lost two or three games by a tight margin despite playing well. Köln are up next and we'll be doing everything we can to put in a better performance than on Saturday.

Can you explain what happened against Bayern because it seemed as though Hoffenheim had returned to winning ways in their last two matches?

We had big plans for how to handle Bayern, but unfortunately executed none of them. There were a lot of problems, but at the end of the day we didn't implement what we set out to do. After two early goals it was really difficult for us to get ourselves back into the match and when Robben and Ribery get into their stride it's almost impossible to stop them.

Three of the last four home encounters against Köln have ended in losses. What's the plan for Köln this weekend?

I reckon we've got to break them down from the outside. There's lot of room on the flanks and it's where we need to beat them because they showed their strength and compactness in the middle against Bayern and Mainz. However, we've got to be careful because up front they've got Podolski and Novakovic, two of the deadliest strikers in the league.

You're likely to come up against Christian Eichner on Saturday. Does that give you an advantage seeing as you know his defensive tendencies?

If I play, chances are I'll be up against him. At the end of the day though, I just play my game no matter who the opponent is. Of course I know how Christian plays, but if you think too much when you're on the pitch normally it all goes wrong.

You possess a lot of good qualities as a player, but unfortunately goal scoring doesn't seem to be one of them, right?

It's definitely something I'm working on, but you're right, I'm definitely not the finisher in the team. Normally I'm more of a player who likes to set things up for his teammates and create the chances for others. I can score goals, it's just not the most important part of my game right now.

How do you feel about the progress you've made so far? Last year you were one of the best players off the bench, this year you've staked a claim for a first team position.

The progress I've made has been good up until now and will hopefully continue in the same vein. Of course I've got my sights set on being in the starting line-up in the next two matches in order to help the team right the wrongs of last weekend. For me, that's the priority right now.