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.”