"Like something out of a film"

Interview with Theodor Gebre Selassie

After a short summer holiday, Theodor Gebre Selassie joined the Werder training camp in Zillertal. (Photo: WERDER.DE)
First Team
Monday, 25.07.2016 / 13:09

That chapter is over and done with. For Theodor Gebre Selassie, the disappointing European championship where the Czech Republic were knocked out in the group stage, is all in the past - history. The right-back used his three-week summer holiday to shake off the disappointment and has learnt from the experience. Now, Gebre Selassie is back with the Green-Whites in the Zillertal region and intends to work hard to achieve his full physical and footballing potential. In between several demanding sessions, the 28-year-old found the time to talk to WERDER.DE about the unusual aspects of the EUROS, his Czech Republic compatriot Jaroslav Drobny and what lessons were learnt in the 2-1 defeat to 1860 München. 

WERDER.DE: Before we begin to talk about the strenuous training here in Zillertal, let’s take a look back on the summer break. How did you spend your free time? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “Due to the European championship, my summer break wasn’t as long as other players’, but I still made the most of it. We were in the Czech Republic the entire time. That may not have been the original plan, but my wife was a bit ill, so we spent a lot of time with family and friends. That was nice.”

A disappointing European championship for Theodor Gebre Selassie and Czech Republic. (Photo: nordphoto).

WERDER.DE: Key word: Family - what does that mean to you? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “Family is the most important thing to me in my life. Simple as that. My wife and son are always behind me and support me, even when things aren’t going that well. My wife gave me a lot of strength during the final run-in of last season. I am glad I was able to spend every day of the summer break with my son, my wife and large parts of the family. That was good for me.” 

WERDER.DE: The holiday may have been cut short due to your participation in the EUROS, but it was probably a good experience to take part in a tournament like that, wasn’t it? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie:  “It was completely different from the championship in Poland four years ago. Unfortunately, it was a short tournament for us, we only had three games. We didn’t play as well as we’d hoped to and for me personally it was difficult as well, because I only played the first game. Now I hope the World Cup qualification will be better.” 

WERDER.DE: So what was the biggest difference with the 2012 EURO? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “Definitely the security regulations. There were always three security guards with us. They followed our every step, were always alert and ready and even dined with us. It was like something out of a film.“ 

We are here to improve and train well.
Theodor Gebre Selassie

WERDER.DE: Was it more of a good feeling, knowing that you’re under constant protection, or more of a strange feeling to constantly have men in uniform around you? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “They weren’t in uniform; they were undercover (laughs). To start with it was quite strange. At the start of the tournament there was a discussion about the risks and everything that can happen. It did make us a little scared. But as time went on it became much less of a problem.”

WERDER.DE: Is it actually possible to forget about such stringent safety precautions at kick-off? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “Yes, that wasn’t a problem. When the ball is rolling, you don’t think about things like that. I wasn’t afraid for our players or the families.” 

WERDER.DE: Was there any contact with the fans during the tournament amidst all this? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “There were points of contact, but for the fans it was certainly not as easy to get to the team as usual. There were lots of security checks.”

Roommates in Zillertal: Zlatko Junuzovic and Theodor Gebre Selassie. (Photo: norphoto).

WERDER.DE: What were your feelings coming out of the tournament? Were you disappointed or motivated?

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “Definitely motivated. The national team has a new manager now, I’d like to be part of the squad for the start of his era. I don’t know, where I stand with the new manager yet, so I don’t know if I will continue to be picked, but I’d certainly like to carry on being a part of things.” 

WERDER.DE: Let’s change the subject and talk about Werder. You’ve been back now for around a week. How are you and how is your body after all the training sessions? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “My body is in good condition, but it was clear to see in the game against 1860 München that I’m not up to scratch on the ball yet.” 

WERDER.DE: Can you give us your assessment of the 2-1 defeat on Saturday? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “It has told us that we still have a lot of work ahead of us and have to continue to give everything. We know it wasn’t a good game on our part, especially not in the first half. But we can’t now spend the entire training camp thinking and talking about how badly we played in that one friendly. We are here to improve and train well.”

WERDER.DE: The game was also the first one with the new signings all together. What’s your impression of the new boys?

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “So far they’ve made a very positive impression. They’re on the right track at training. But I have only played one game with them, and had limited training sessions. The more we play together, the better we will work together on the pitch.”

Theodor Gebre Selassie is unhappy with the performance in Werder's friendly against 1860 Munich.

WERDER.DE: With Jaroslav Drobny there is now another Czech in the team. What kind of a guy is ‘Drobo’? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “He’s positively crazy - a good guy. On the one hand he brings about a good atmosphere within the team, on the other hand he is very professional, works very hard on himself. He will really help the young players and all of us.”

WERDER.DE: But your roommate is still Zlatko Junuzovic, or have you got your own room now? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “No, we wanted to share a room at the training camp. We all have a bedroom here and a common room where you can relax if you want to. It’s the best.” 

WERDER.DE: And what happens when you’re getting in each other’s way? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “We sit together and talk. Sometimes other players come by, Drobo for example. Yesterday Uli Garcia and Milos Veljkovic were there. We went on the PlayStation.” 

WERDER.DE: And obviously a win for ‘dream team’ Junuzovic/Gebre Selassie? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “Yesterday we lost unfortunately, but we weren’t bad (laughs).” 

WERDER.DE: I just have one more question: diet and nutrition is a hot topic for you all at the moment. How are you finding the change, and what exactly is actually different from before? 

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “You have to get used to it. There are days on which we aren’t allowed to eat any carbs. Sometimes it does leave the stomach somewhat unsatisfied, no question, but all that just needs getting used to as well. And if it helps us, then we’re all more than happy to do it.” 

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