Max Kruse said it on his very first day bay the Weser. “I’m here to play successful football,” said the Werder attacker at his first press conference after signing. “I want to find the fun in football again.” Kruse has been working towards this since the summer and the reward has been clear to see over the last few weeks. The Green-Whites have climbed from 16th to 7th in the table, a jump which has a lot to do with the superb recent performances of Werder’s top scorer.
In a revealing interview, the 29-year-old speaks about team spirit, the relaxed atmosphere, self-confidence, new targets and the way his personal secret for success.
WERDER.DE: Max, in the second half of this season you’ve been directly involved in 15 goals. That’s a really impressive amount. You always say that it’s the result of hard work. What does that mean exactly?
Max Kruse: “I’m convinced that hard work pays off. Sometimes it can take a while and adversity plays a role. Set-backs prevent you from seeing the results of this hard work sooner. You will be rewarded in the end though, if you push yourself and as a team, we’ve really pushed ourselves over the last few months.”
WERDER.DE: Against Ingolstadt you scored four goals in one match. That probably hasn’t happened since you were kid? What did the goals mean to you?
Max Kruse: “I can actually remember scoring four goals in a game before, but it wasn’t a big deal. Four goals in one game certainly isn’t a regular thing. I’m very pleased that I could help the team in this way. For me it’s a nice bonus.”
WERDER.DE: Now onto a different theme. You’ve done well at all of your previous clubs and also represented Germany. Do you think that your belief and attitude rubs off on your teammates?
Max Kruse: “Honestly, I’ve never thought about whether my attitude has an effect on other players. Everyone knows that I have a lot of self-belief, but only to a certain point, it never turns to arrogance. I try to emit my confidence to others in order to make the team better. Therefore, I‘m convinced that a little bit of self-confidence is important in order to play successful football.”
WERDER.DE: Confidence is particularly important for strikers isn’t it?
Max Kruse: “I don’t know whether it’s dependent on position, but it certainly doesn’t harm you as a striker.”
WERDER.DE: You now have 42 points and have therefore reached the 40 point mark. Are you now setting new targets?
Max Kruse: “First I must say that it’s incredible that we’ve amassed this many points at such an early stage given how we performed in the first half of the season. I don’t think anyone would’ve expected this, even us. I’ve heard people talking about Europe. Hey are entitled to do that, but that isn’t my main concern right now. I think that the head coach and the others are saying the right things. We’re happy that we reached our target so early and have taken a lot of the pressure off of ourselves. If we could make Europe at the end of the season that would, of course, be even better.”
If I had pictured the perfect scenario, then it would probably have looked something like it is now.Max Kruse
WERDER.DE: So are the remaining matches just a reward for you, a few bonus games of sorts?
Max Kruse: “I don’t know whether you can call them bonus games. We’ll do everything we can to win our next games. Moreover, we know that it won’t be easy. In my eyes, it’s also not imperative that we play in the Europa League next season.”
WERDER.DE: Werder were in a similar position two years ago, with the potential to secure European football for the next season after succeeding in gaining enough points to stay in the Bundesliga with a few games still to be played. There was the impression that now the that pressure was off, the team didn’t fight as hard as they could have to finish in a spot which would allow them to qualify for the Europa League. Do you think that the squad could fall into a similar trap this year?
Max Kruse: “As far as my assessment of the team goes, we don’t need to worry about playing half-heartedly from here on out. Our run of ten games unbeaten behind us, which is by no means an easy feat, shows that we’re not content with what we’ve already achieved so far. We want to further build on our streak. Even if we do run into a bump in the road, we’re strong enough as a community not to just roll over and gift our remaining games to our opponents.”
WERDER.DE: How important has the much referred to team-spirit been to your winning streak?
Max Kruse: “It’s difficult to pin down and name just one reason for our runs of wins. We’ve worked hard as a team. The manager has always stuck to his guns and has elevated us through his approach. We could have lost in Leverkusen, we didn’t have to win the odd game here and there, but in the end we had a little bit of luck on our side. However, the team-spirit was already there, even in the games which didn’t go so well. At the moment, the euphoria and necessary ease with which the team plays is clear for all to see.”
WERDER.DE You came here from Wolfsburg and sought a new beginning. Were you always certain that things would turn out so well?
Max Kruse: “We’ve come back to the topic of self-belief. There was never certainty, but I believe in my own quality and know that I can play at a high level. When it all comes together, I can also rely on my performances. I’ve tried to show that since my injury, and I think that people can see that we’re having fun again.”
WERDER.DE: Has playing football with Werder as you grew up played a role?
Max Kruse: “It’s definitely had an impact on my decision-making. I know the city, and I know what I have here. The years I spent here were great.”
WERDER.DE: During the summer, did you think that your second spell here would be just as enjoyable and successful as the last?
Max Kruse: “Yes, of course, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have agreed to join. If I had to picture a scenario of how I thought things would go at the start of the season, then it probably would have looked like how things are going now.”
WERDER.DE: Let’s take a look at your upcoming opponents, Hertha BSC. What memories do you have of the encounter in the first-half of the season?
Max Kruse: “Well it goes without saying that I remember my second goal for Werder. It’s even better that it led to three points. In addition, it was our first clean-sheet of the season, which was important for us as a team, and we also handed Hertha their first loss at home for the season, which only one other team has managed to do bar ourselves. For those reasons, it was a successful Saturday afternoon all-round.”
WERDER.DE: Who would have thought that the next match-up between the two sides would be a fight for a spot in a Europe competition?
Max Kruse: “I didn’t think it would (laughs). All the better for the club, the fans, the city, and us as players, that it’s worked out this way. As previously said, we’re not fixated on the match being about a duel to play in Europe next season. It’s not important how many points behind Hertha we are. We control our own fate. If we win all our remaining games, we’ll be playing in Europe next season.”
WERDER.DE: Who would’ve thought that the season would end in a push for Europe?
Max Kruse: “I didn’t think that (laughs). It’s nice that it’s turned out this way for us as players, the fans, the city and the whole club. We’re not becoming fixated on the race for Europe though. It’s not important how many points we are behind Hertha. It’s still up to us and if we win all of our remaining games then we’ll be in Europe.”
WERDER.DE: How have the fans treated you in the last few days and weeks?
Max Kruse: “Positively, particularly after the last match (laughs). People congratulated me and the mood in and around the city is very, very good.”
