"The region should be able to indentify itself with us”

You are also the person in charge of making signings at Hoffenheim. How do make time for everything?

Markus Babbel: There's also executive director Frank Briel and above all team manager Dirk Rittmüller who work alongside me. Dirk does about 80 percent of the work. First and foremost I'm the manager of the team, but as the manager, I'm pretty good friends with Babbel, the guy who signs the players.

As Babbel's coaching-confidant, maybe you might make the decision to become a manager in the Bundesliga yourself one day.

Rainer Widmayer: That question keeps cropping up. I have a good contract here and I'm 100 percent committed to the cause. If I had other ideas, the team would sense it straight away.

How do you settle any disputes amongst yourselves?

Babbel: We discuss it and then we make a decision. Rainer can often justify his views quite well, and when he's right, he's right. That applies for me as well though.

Widmayer: When Markus needs to make a decision in training that I'm not convinced of straight away, sometimes it takes half an hour for it to click with me, without Markus even noticing. At the end of the day, we both want to win every game – even the training matches.

How do you deal with your players?

Babbel: You have to put your arm around some of them, with others you have to be brutal and confront them with the truth. The managers that told me mercilessly and truthfully what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong were my favourite when I was a player. We managers always question ourselves, wanting to do better. Even after victories.

What is appealing for you about Hoffenheim as a place to live and work?

Babbel: After spending time in Berlin, the quiet atmosphere here really did us some good. I was at the inauguration of the Dietmar Hopp Stadium in 1999 back when I was a Bayern München player. I followed the club since then. I find it fascinating what has happened over the years. When I got the opportunity to work here, I was delighted to accept. We have excellent working conditions here, so now we just have to get the sporting achievements to bring everything up to the same level.

Widmayer: We want to make 1899 Hoffenheim an established part of the Bundesliga…

Babbel: …one that the whole region can identify with. That's not easy when there are so many other traditional clubs in the area. The fact that we have more and more fans at away games is down to us and the way that we play football. The match in Berlin doesn't exactly serve as the best example. The lads have so much more in them – we have to call on this potential in the future.