Sebastian Rudy:
"Set pieces have to become a weapon"

You'll celebrate your 25th birthday on Saturday. How do you see your day going?

Sebastian Rudy:I know it sounds like a cliché but three points against Mainz would be the best present. I'll celebrate with my family after the game and we'll have coffee and cake on Sunday.

You lost track of your opposite number for the goal in Freiburg - how and how quickly do you recover from that during the game?

Rudy:Mistakes happen in games although they shouldn't really occur. I'm quite good at forgetting about it quickly on the pitch. You can't help the team if you keep thinking about it too much. Freiburg's set pieces were often aimed towards Höhn and I dealt with that well - unfortunately he got away from me on that occasion.

There's a lot of competition for the places in holding midfield. Recently you've started two games. Do you think you're therefore guaranteed to start against Mainz?

Rudy:No, that's definitely not a guarantee and that shouldn't be the case. We have a lot of quality in that position and everyone has to prove why they should be playing, which is what I try to do at every training session. I had a good game against both Stuttgart and Freiburg but at the end of the day it's Markus Gisdol who makes the decision as to who plays.

You've also played at right back this season but you see yourself as a midfielder. What attributes do you need to play there?

Rudy:For me there are two things you need - to be strong in the tackle and the ability to be able to read the game, which is especially important because of the way we play. You have to win back the ball and set the players up going forward. A holding midfielder used to just win the ball back but now there's a mixture of the two.

You have a few set-piece specialists and you are one of those. Who decides who takes which set piece?

Rudy:There are a few that are decided before the game but on the pitch we decide there and then depending on who feels the most comfortable taking it. Unfortunately, our set pieces haven't been very good in our last two games. We've been better than that this season. We have to continue to work on them in training in order to make them a weapon. The ball has to be delivered perfectly to make it easier for our strikers.

A change of manager has worked at Mainz. Does a new coach make your next opponents more dangerous?

Rudy:Yes, of course. But that's more the case against a new manager in their first game - at least we have something to go off. But we're focusing on what we want to do on the pitch. We definitely haven't seen all of what Mainz's new manager has planned for his team.

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on Mainz?

Rudy:Mainz have had highs and lows throughout the season. The change of manager has shown that things hadn't been going right for a while. But you can never underestimate Mainz. They have a lot of quality and the team showed that at the beginning of the season. Last year we experienced what it felt like to come away with a point after being ahead because we didn't keep playing and we were pushed back. But we've worked on that. Those games aren't important ahead of Saturday's match though.

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