Things have been going well for Niklas Schmidt at SVW since the end of the winter break. The attacking midfielder has been on the pitch for at least 45 minutes in every game since the season restart and played the full match in the last encounter with Eintracht Frankfurt. He has been in the starting line-up four times in 2023. “I am happy that I have started lots of games since the start. I am trying to go my own way,” said Schmidt to the media on Wednesday.
However, the 24-year-old is quite critical of his last performance against Frankfurt. “I had a lot of touches against Frankfurt, but I was also not very accurate. I have to continue to work on receiving balls and creating something to give the team security. That’s where I want to get better,” explained Schmidt, also with a view to competition in the squad: “We have a lot of guys in this position. You have to prove yourself every week, in training and in the games, and I want to perform and be convincing on the pitch.”
In the winter training camp in January, Schmidt had openly spoken about his mental problems. Even if doing so could be seen as a sort of liberation, for him there is no connection with his positive development in football since then. “That problem is not related to this. Of course, it’s really nice for the moment that I’m getting a lot of minutes and that the manager is putting his confidence in me. But one has nothing to do with the other,” Werder’s number 22 said on his current situation. “Of course you feel good when you are on the pitch, and when I am, I can block that out, but I don’t come off the pitch now, go home, have a completely clear head and feel great.”
Schmidt is grateful for the reaction shown by his teammates but also by the Werder fans after his public statement. He has only received positive feedback from the team. “It’s probably new territory for everyone, including myself. The guys have been completely behind me with it so far, and treat me like before. I also directly said beforehand that I wanted that.” Werder fans also showed a positive reaction with banners before the home game against Union Berlin. “I saw the signs, it was really touching. I got in contact with the fans directly to thank them. It was a huge gesture,” said Schmidt, moved. “Even though you shouldn’t be treated any differently, it’s very nice to see a gesture like that. You feel extremely grateful that people put up signs like that to be seen.
It is very important for the 24-year-old to continue speaking openly about the topic. “It is part of my life. I am still coming to terms with it; I’m still in treatment and will continue to be in the near future because it helps me a lot and because I need it. Everyone can talk if they have problems like that. It doesn’t matter if it’s in private or in public; the main thing is to speak about it.”
