Kevin Kurányi: "I want to get to 100% during the break"

There's a huge difference between Moscow and the Kraichgau. Is there anything you miss from the big city?

Kevin Kuranyi: I lived in Moscow for five years. There's always a lot going on there – lots of chaos, cars, traffic and stress. I prefer life in a small town where it's quieter and I can relax, so I'm pleased to be here.

What's life like in Moscow?

Kuranyi: It's very different to what you'd imagine. Obviously it's very cold in the winter, a few degrees lower than in Germany, but it's very nice in the summer, and there aren't any bears in Moscow either. It's a good place to live.

Russia is a very big country – what was the longest journey you had for an away match?

Kuranyi: There's one club who are a twelve-hour flight away from Moscow, but thankfully they got relegated before I arrived in Russia and haven't been promoted since. The longest trip for me was to Tomsk, which took four hours by plane. The journeys aren't much fun because they can drag on a bit, and the connection to the hotel can also take a while if it's been snowing.

What's it like playing football at -17˚C?

Kuranyi: Very cold (laughs). Your toes and your ears freeze, you need to put on long trousers and wear two T-shirts under your shirt, and you need to spend longer warming up. To get used to the temperatures, we'd train outdoors in the days leading up to the match, which wasn't always pleasant.

Out of Brazil, Russia and Germany, which would you say is your home?

Kuranyi: I'd have Panama on the list instead of Russia. There, along with Brazil and Germany, I feel at home because I've lived in all three countries and I understand their ways of thinking very well.

Now you're back and living near your family. Is that what you were looking for after five years away?

Kuranyi: Absolutely. It's been exactly what my family and I wanted. I'm near my hometown of Stuttgart and I have my family near me, which we're all very happy about. It's also good for my children, who were two and three years old when we went to Russia. They felt at home there, but they'll get used to it here and it'll work out well for them.

In the Bundesliga this season you've played 60 minutes twice and 90 minutes once. How are you feeling?

Kuranyi: I'm almost at 100%, and in the international break I'll work hard to get there. I feel good and I coped well with my first 90 minutes. The international break is good for me because it allows me to undergo some intensive training.

Have there been any moments in the first three matches that you've missed whilst you've been away?

Kuranyi: The moment when you run out with the team into a sold-out stadium is something very special, which you don't get in Russia. The fans are spread out there like it's a friendly match. It's also a good feeling when our young side can put on a good performance against sides like Bayern or Leverkusen.

TSG have only taken one point so far and have lost against two Champions League participants. How would you assess the situation?

Kuranyi: The points total is only one side of the story, but what we’ve shown on the pitch is very different. It's a shame that we haven't been able to pick up more points, although the opportunities have been there for us. I'm confident, however, that we'll be able to achieve the results in the next few games that we've been working for. If so, the table will start to look a lot better for us.