“We are not academics, we are working men”

Mr. Babbel, how raw is the pain now, four days after the disappointing cup exit to Berliner AK?

Markus Babbel: I'm still deeply disappointed in the way in which we were eliminated. At no point were we able to implement our own game, let alone fight back. I have to take the blame, because I didn't mentally prepare the team appropriately.

Saturday sees you take on Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga opener…

Babbel: …that's the best thing about football. A few days after a bad performance, you have the chance to correct it. We have this chance after our poor display in the cup. Our fans will see a different Hoffenheim team this Saturday.

You have worked together for some years. Did you search for one another when you were made a coaching team in November 2008?

Babbel: We found each other but we didn't go looking. At that time, we were both brought together by Stuttgart manager Horst Heldt. Horst, my neighbour, rang me at two in the morning asking me to come over to his apartment. Rainer, who was a scout for Stuttgart at the time, returned from a scouting trip to Lüttich at around three. We realised quite quickly that we were on the same wavelength when it came to football.

Rainer Widmayer: Our time working together was initially limited to five weeks up until the winter break. After that I had another contract with VfB Stuttgart as a scout…

Babbel: … and I renewed as assistant manager.

What did you like about Rainer Widmayer and his qualities?

Babbel: Initially, it was his experience as both a manager and assistant manager that was important. I was thrown into the deep end as boss in 2008. I was of course delighted to have Rainer by my side. What I personally find great about him is his plain talking towards the players and his balance between praise and blame. He takes the training sessions, which means I can really focus on watching the players.

Widmayer: The players have the impression that the boss has everything under control. The division of jobs between both of us means that the commitment of the players is that little bit greater. At the end of it all though, it is Markus that decides who plays and who doesn't.

What do you like about your boss?

Widmayer: His honesty. He's straight talking. Every player knows where they stand. Markus has a great eye for both games and players. In addition to that is his unmistakable gut feeling.