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Pavel Kaderabek: "We just have to want to win more“
Pavel, why did you and your teammates find it so difficult to get going in the first half of the game against Schalke?
Pavel Kaderabek: “I really don’t have an answer for that. One thing is for sure: we played extremely poorly in the first half. Schalke came at us with three attackers, while the rest of them stayed back very deep. We couldn’t find a way to get around the pressing of their forwards and when we tried to, we were forced into making mistakes. So we found ourselves 2-0 down. It’s always hard to dig yourself out of that kind of hole - especially against a side like Schalke. We tried our best in the second half, but it wasn’t quite enough.”
Are there still positives that you can take away from the game?
Kaderabek: “It’s not easy after a loss like that, but we did do a lot of things well in the second half. I would go as far as saying that we were the better team. We have to take that kind of performance into the game at home on the weekend. We have to get all three points for our home fans.”
The last home game against Mainz was also the team’s first win of 2018. How important are the fans for you and the rest of the team?
Kaderabek: “For me personally, the fans are very important. There’s definitely a big difference between playing at home and away. When you win a tackle, beat your man or pick out a perfect pass in Sinsheim, the fans really come alive. That gives you an extra push compared to away games, when our fans are obviously outnumbered a little bit. They always turn out in great numbers to get behind us - it’s hugely important. The atmosphere in the stadium is always brilliant. We mostly play well at home, but we need to win more game to give the fans what they deserve.”
A good performance against Mainz and then two completely different halves against Schalke: what’s keeping TSG from being consistent?
Kaderabek: “Firstly, you have to consider the circumstances. It’s a completely different kettle of fish playing Mainz at home compared to playing Schalke away. We always have the right attitude - we fight. We fought in Berlin, we fought at home against Mainz and we fought away to Schalke. What we’re lacking is that final pass and the levelheadedness needed to pull them off successfully. We have to work on being more clinical with our crosses and passes.”
One of your crosses led to Andrej Kramaric’s goal in Gelsenkirchen.
Kaderabek: “Very true. But one good cross per game is not enough. I had four chances to cross in the first half and I hit the first defender each time. That’s not good enough. I’m putting in a lot of extra work to get more and more precise. One out of five - that’s not a good ratio. I have to, we all have to work on it. Lots of players hang around after training to work on those little things that will make us a better team.”
On Saturday, SC Freiburg are coming to Sinsheim. What kind of game are you expecting?
Kaderabek: “We know how good Freiburg are. Not only because we lost against them in the first time around, but also because they’re very close to us in the standings. They had a difficult start, but recently, they have lost hardly any games. I’m expecting an intense, fast-paced and emotional game. We have to want to win more than Freiburg - that will be the key.”
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