Interview with Andres Ibertsberger

Andi, for the last two games you've been on the bench. Do you feel physically to play in the Bundesliga now, or are you lacking something?

The only thing I don't have right now is match practice. Training is going really smoothly again for me, I feel fit and able to withstand the pressure of football. But in a match it's different. You have to be automatically ready; it's hard to go straight back into a match mentality.

That's why you decided to play with the Under 23s team on Sunday against Greuther Fürth. Were you pleased with your performance, despite the 2-1 defeat?

I wasn't that happy really. It was important for me to play a full 9o minutes and to get some playing time as well. But I knew before the game that things don't just fall back into place instantly, so it was that surprising for me to find that I still have work to do.

After three matches, and despite a tough run of fixtures to begin the season, you have six points on the board. What do you think is the reason for this good start?

A large part of that is down to the manager. He's brought a fresh look to the place, and a good mix of fun and professionalism. But we should keep a sense of perspective here. We have only played three games and there's a long way to go yet.

How do you rate your chances of getting back into the team?

Hard to say really. I just have to be patient and wait for my chance. The team is playing well right now, so the manager can't be expected to make changes. But I've been in a situation like this before and know what it's like trying to force your way back into the side after injury.

Let's think about Saturday's game for a moment. In the games against Bremen there are usually goals – the last meeting at the WIRSOL Rhein-Neckar Arena ended 4-1. What type of game do you expect?

I'm hoping for an attacking game with some entertaining football for the fans. Bremen's attack is very strong, as people know. We have a lot of quality in our side as well, but we have to be careful that they can't use their individual creativity too much.