Kevin Volland: "It’s remarkable to lead the team out"

Hello Kevin, you now have two days of before setting off for Czech Republic … 

Kevin Volland: That’s correct. I’ll spend both days at home, relax and then it can get started.

U21 head coach Horst Hrubesch said you are already prepared for the EUROs. What is your impression of the team? 

Volland: He’s right about that. We worked extremely hard at the training camp. Improving fine details and can now find ourselves as a team after a long Bundesliga season. The finishing touches were necessary, all the lads have got along with one another well and now we’re prepared for the upcoming two weeks. We’re all looking forward to it and want to have a good tournament.

It gets underway on Saturday.- how much are you anticipating it and what expectations do you have for the tournament?

Volland: I’m really anticipating it. Playing at a tournament like this is always something pretty special. I’m looking forward to the atmosphere, which will buzz around the tournament. Running out onto the pitch for the first game will also be a special moment. Then you notice the tournament’s underway and it will be a lot of fun with our team. We want to of course play for the trophy. It will also be important for us to be successful in our first match. The game versus Serbia will be tough but it will make the whole tournament easier for us, should we win. But we experienced a bad start in 2013, when we lost our first group game of the EUROs. We then made it tough for ourselves. Winning your first game makes it so much easier.

Is Germany U21’s style of play comparable to that of TSG’s?

Volland: The playing styles are similar but not identical. We want to play purposefully with the U21s too, they place more value on ball possession than we do at TSG. There’s high quality within both teams and I think we can play TSG’s game with the national team too.

How do your roles for the U21 and TSG differ? 

Volland: It makes no difference on the pitch for me, whether I’m playing with or without the armband. I will try to take on responsibility for both teams during the game, carry the team and always give it my all. 

Will you have a different feeling on the pitch as captain of the Germany U21s than with TSG? 

Volland: Of course, it’s a remarkable and lovely feeling, when you run out first and lead the team onto the pitch. Every time in Hoffenheim though, just before a game in the dressing room, I think how amazing it is to be in this team and the Bundesliga. The joy and fun factor are the same with TSG and Germany U21s. 

What do you make of the DFB Cup draw?

Volland: I’m looking forward to it a lot. It will be my first game against ’60 since I left there. We even played a friendly game against 1860 once with TSG but I was injured at the time. It’ll be a special game, I’ll see lots of familiar faces and friends. For the first round, it’s a tough draw though. They will already be used to playing when we face off as the second-division campaign begins two weeks before the competition. It will be our first competitive action of the new season. It will be exciting…