The seasoned pro and the young pretender

Achtzehn99.de: Tom, you're the oldest player in the Hoffenheim squad…

Tom Starke: (laughing)… I prefer the expression ‘the most experienced' player.

Do you have a special role in the team because of that?

Starke: I think so, yes. The younger players look at what you do. You're definitely a sort of role model for them and you should conduct yourself professionally.

Achtzehn99.de: Can you confirm that Sandro?

Sandro Wieser: Of course. It's a big help when you have people to talk to within the squad, and if one or two of them are older players. That's the case on the pitch as well as off it.

Off the pitch, things have been quite eventful at the club recently. In times like that, does the job of a more experienced player become more important?

Starke: Absolutely. We have to protect the team by doing the media interviews and make sure that the younger players can concentrate on their work. As a young player, sometimes that sort of thing can interfere with your focus; a more experienced player is usually more versed in how to deal with it. But everyone can take some responsibility when things go well. It's a different story when times are harder; that's when experience counts for a lot.

As a young player, Sandro, how do you deal with it when a manager is changed, like at Hoffenheim not so long ago?

Wieser: I just try not to dwell on it, but instead focus on my game and how I train. I'm a young player still, but I know that that's the way things develop sometimes; it's part and parcel of the business of football. It doesn't matter what changes are made at a club; the important thing is always the game at the weekend. Success in that respect depends entirely on hard work and concentration, so that's what I try to do.

Starke: It's probably the case that younger players today are more in tune with such situations, than when I was first starting out. Nowadays, you're prepared for a career as a professional footballer more meticulously.

Sandro, what advantages does an older player have over a younger squad member?

Wieser: The biggest thing is probably the amount of games they've played. That's something you notice very quickly. Even if you have only four or five games under your belt, you're much more relaxed for the next few matches.

And what about you, Tom? Do you see any advantages for younger players today?

Starke: Younger players are always hungry to play and to succeed, and bring the right motivation with them. When you're young, you play with less worry, less pressure on yourself and you're cheeky, confident and you can take risks. But it's good to have a mix of youth and experience within a team. Every successful team has the correct balance.

Do either of you have any rituals, or are there any tasks which the younger guys have to do for the more experienced players?

Starke: If only! Then I could do nothing all day!

Wieser: I actually haven't had to do many things like that since I came to Hoffenheim. That's probably because the squad is generally a young one. In Basel, the younger guys always had to collect the balls and the training equipment after sessions.

Starke: When I was a young player, there was a lot of that, yes. The youth team players had to carry the goals, bring the balls and keep the training ground neat and tidy. But we didn't have to scrub anyone else's boots; each player did that himself.

Turning to football matters, against Gladbach, TSG finally managed to turn a deficit around and win from a losing position. Are ‘scrappy' wins like that the most satisfying?

Wieser: It wasn't like we didn't deserve to win. We didn't let ourselves fall apart after conceding the first goal. Instead, we came back and we turned the game around with two quick goals. Of course, to win games like that is very pleasing because you know you never gave up and you get your rewards for it.

Starke: The best thing about the win for me was that we could reward the fans that had made the trip. They were fantastic for us. There were 1,500 of them, and they stayed and celebrated with us after the game. That was the most fun part for me.

It might be said that Hoffenheim are at a crossroads right now. The team is six points off seventh place, but the same distance from the relegation play-off spot. Which way is it going to go?

Starke: The glass is always either half full or half empty, and even in football, you can see things in black and white. We've never used the ‘r-word' this season, but we haven't spoken about qualifying for Europe either. We let the media busy themselves with speculation like that. We have six games to go and only then will be able to see how things have turned out.