Oliver Baumann: "Not the type of guy to take a power nap"

Oliver Baumann on…

…running through tactics:

I don’t do a lot of that to be honest. Today we spoke about little things. During today’s session, the back four were a big topic of discussion. As a keeper I have a special point of view, a different perspective. In the friendly against Lilleström, I noticed a couple of things that I mentioned to the coaching staff. We can improve on a couple of things and I think it is important that we always talk about fine details so we better ourselves.

…the friendly against Lilleström:

There is one thing we took away from the match: When we press, we need to press as a team. It doesn’t work if we don’t do it as a collective. On top of that, we struggled to get started in an attacking sense, which meant that we didn’t create as many chances.

…training methods:

We have used the eye patch on several occasions. It adds variety to our workout and that’s why I like to do it. It gives me a totally different perspective. The spatial awareness aspect is missing; I have to rely on my instincts much more, which is an important part of my game.

…Jonathan Schmid:

I’ve known him for quite some time now. We played together for Freiburg’s U19s as well as the first team, so we have a pretty good relationship. He is a great guy who fits the bill both from a footballing and personal stand point. It is nice that we’re teammates once again. We spoke to each other and said how we wanted to play together again. One year later and it has all worked out (laughs).

…integrating the new signings:

Our new signings are perfect. Markus Gisdol and Alexander Rosen are working very hard to find players who fit into the team. A couple of the players cannot speak German but we understand each other through our hands and feet, so it all works out fine. I have a good feeling about the new boys.

…Norway:

This is my first time here. The surroundings are lovely but that is not the reason we are here. The training facilities are very good, our hotel is fine and we have had a perfect training camp. I would love to go fishing if there is time. The weather is perfect for playing sport and when the sun is shining it is like a dream.

…relaxing:

Power naps are required but I am not a fan of them to be honest because it takes me a while to fall asleep. I prefer to be in total silence, be alone, listen to music, play a bit of PlayStation and think about things away from football. That relaxes me and allows me to recharge my batteries.

…potential:

We have a great team who have worked well together during the training camp. We still have a long way to go though. Markus Gisdol gave us the full plan. If we can achieve our goals then we will have a great season. But first, there are still some training sessions and friendlies to get past. We work in detail, take part in video training in small groups and much more. In other words, the potential is there, but we need to utilise it.