Tobias Strobl: "We need to knock the wind out of their sails early on"

The team didn't have to train on Sunday or Monday. How did you spend your days off?

Tobias Strobl: My brother visited me at the weekend. We grabbed a bite to eat after the home win on Saturday and then he left on Sunday evening. I spent a nice, relaxed day with my girlfriend in Mannheim on Monday.

It's been noticeably warmer out the past few days. Surely that makes training more fun?

Strobl: Of course. It puts you in a much better mood when you get up and it's not grey outside. A day in the sun, but also training in the sun, is fun. I like how it is at the moment – 15 degrees and sunny. I have different preferences for games though. I like evening matches when it has cooled down and the grass is moist. Those are the best conditions for defenders.

Before the game against Hamburger SV, Markus Gisdol said "now it's decisive". How do you handle this pressure?

Strobl: For me, it's no more pressure than normal. We know that there are only nine games to go and we're aware of our current position in the table. We will take things game by game. We have to put in a solid performance every week and give absolutely everything we've got.

Paderborn haven‘t scored for over a month. How are you going to stop them from ending their goal drought?

Strobl: It's extremely important that we don't underestimate Paderborn. They've shown, especially in the first half of the season, that they can play daring and successful football. We need to try and control the game. They launch quick counterattacks and that is something we need to prevent. In an ideal world, we'll score an early goal to knock the wind out of their sails.

What's the aim for Saturday's trip to North Rhine-Westphalia?

Strobl: We want to come away with all three points. Otherwise, the victory against Hamburg will have been in vain. We need to build on last weekend's result and string back-to-back victories together for the first time this season. It's about time that happened.

What are your personal targets for the rest of the season?

Strobl: I want and need to keep developing and be the best player I can. That's the aim. Aside from that, I'll give everything to be successful with the team. We're still able to achieve something really special this season; we need to do everything possible to make that happen.

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