Max Kruse’s Bremen homecoming should have been something beautiful, but instead of a successful return to the Green-White jersey, the striker badly injured his knee in Werder’s DFB Cup exit against Lotte. It remains a painful memory for SVW, as well as Kruse himself. Since then, the 28-year-old has been working on his comeback and in the past few days, has returned to the training pitch to carry out the final stages of his recovery.
WERDER.DE caught up with our no. 10 to talk about how his comeback is going, his first two months in Bremen and familiar faces from the past.
WERDER.DE: Max, let’s get the most important question out of the way, how are you and more importantly, how’s your knee?
Max Kruse: “I’m doing well (laughs). I don’t have any more pain in my knee either. I want to play again as soon as possible and help the team. I’m working hard to get there.”
WERDER.DE: What does a normal day look like for you? What have you started to be able to do again?
Max Kruse: “My recovery is in the latter stages; the ligament is stable. I can actually almost manage everything but you have to be somewhat careful to not overwork the knee. We're increasing the intensity day by day so I can return to the team and the pitch as quickly as possible - I hope that doesn’t take too long.”
WERDER.DE: Let’s look back to the Lotte game again in which you suffered the injury. How angry were you that you had to sit out again having just returned?
Max Kruse: “I came to Bremen with a lot of desire and excitement and wanted to help the team get on the right track. I personally set myself a lot of goals. It of course affected me to receive such a diagnosis in just the first competitive game of the season. It was a bitter blow and I was quite sad but I think reacting in that way is normal. Injuries are part of the game and football is a fast-paced business. It’s key that you concentrate on the important things after the initial disappointment and work hard to come back.”
WERDER.DE: The doctor’s prognosis was twelve weeks out, eight have already passed...
Max Kruse: “We’ll see what happens. Everyone who knows me knows that I love football and it’s the competition that excites me. It’s bitter when you look back on the first few league games, as like I said, I want to help the team on the pitch. Nonetheless, I have great trust in the lads and believe that we have gotten on the right path in the past few weeks.”
WERDER.DE: You've had to watch the games and the team’s development from the outside in the last weeks. How close have you been to everything?
Max Kruse: “I haven’t always been there because of my recovery training but I was of course there for the switching of coaches. I have already had one or two conversations with our new coach and have a really good feeling - we’ll talk more soon. I’m convinced that the positive energy that he shows helps us and I’m already looking forward to playing under him.”
WERDER.DE: But for a while yet you’ll have to support on the team from the stands...
Max Kruse: “Yes, but our squad is very well set up. We can build on the strong performances against Wolfsburg and Leverkusen. The coach has left his mark on the team and has shown a clear direction. I hope we can follow that up in the coming weeks and when everyone’s fit, we’ll have even more options.
WERDER.DE: Have you at least been able to look around you “new-old” hometown a little?
Max Kruse: “The most important challenge during my recovery period has been getting fit again – that has been my clear focus, therefore I haven't had much free time. I have, however, found a new house which I’ll be able to move into on 1st November and I’m really looking forward to that. In Wolfsburg, I just had a pre-furnished apartment.”
WERDER.DE: So it was a conscious decision to come back to Bremen?
Max Kruse: “Everyone feels better when they have their own four walls and personal belongings around them, and you don't just live out of a suitcase. That can be good for a while but you just don’t feel at home. This feel-good factor has always been very important for me and I believe that’s what I have here in Bremen and at Werder.
WERDER.DE: You still know a lot of people at the club from your first years here. Have you had time to have a chat with them yet?
Max Kruse: “Of course. Along with the active players who I see every day, there is also a coach who I played together with in Florian Bruns. I’ve also met up with people like [current U15s coach] Björn Dreyer, who I played with at youth level.
WERDER.DE: What is it like when a former teammate is now your coach?
Max Kruse: “He's now my coach and has the responsibility of making decisions with the coaching staff - you have to accept and respect that. But it’s obviously different when you've known him as a teammate and have experienced things together. Despite this change in the hierarchy, we still get along well.”
WERDER.DE: You both are part of the St. Pauli fraction at Werder. Do you often talk about your time in Hamburg?
Max Kruse: “I had a great time with Flo and Fin at St. Pauli; we got promoted together and were able to experience the Bundesliga. You don’t forget that in a hurry – celebrating promotion stays in your memory forever."
