"I have one big aim"

Interview with Ludwig Augustinsson

Ludwig Augustinsson is pleased with how he's been welcomed at Werder. (Photo: W.DE).
interview
Sunday, 09.07.2017 / 17:03

The midday sun shines brightly on the Winter Garden of the 'Posthotel'. A shadow is cast over the face of Ludwig Augustinsson. It reminds the Sweden international all too well of Saturday's tragic event. "It was a shocking moment," says Augustinsson thinking about the cardiac arrest suffered by Ajax's Abdelhak Nouri in the friendly against Werder. However, he can still raise a smile in the Austrian sunshine, as the new signing feels at home in the team hotel in Zillertal, on the training pitch and among his teammates.

The 23-year-old spoke to us about the tragic incident in the friendly, his first action in a Werder shirt and his aims with the Green-Whites.

WERDER.DE: Hello Ludde. We need to speak about Saturday. What was it like from your point of view? 

Ludwig Augustinsson:
It was terrible, a really horrible feeling. Both sets of players were shocked and some of the Ajax players were crying. I was sitting on the bench at the time and my first thoughts was that he's swallowed his tongue. But it was worse than that. I'm very happy that everything is alright now and Abdelhak is in a stable condition. 

WERDER.DE: How did you react to the situation as a team? Were you able to cope with the events?  

Ludwig Augustinsson: After the match we spoke as a group about what had happened. Every player has his own way of dealing with something like that, but it's important that we all take it seriously. If we want to talk about it then we can always go and speak to our psychologist. After such a shock, it's important to get a good feeling back as quickly as possible. 

WERDER.DE: How do you fully recover from something like that and carry on with your day-to-day life?

Ludwig Augustinsson: It's important to get back into your daily routine as quickly as possible. As I said, I'm pleased that he's stable and I hope that he recovers quickly. I don't want to experience that again. 

WERDER.DE: It's difficult to talk about the game, but how did it feel to play for Werder for the first time? 

Ludwig Augustinsson: It was a lot of fun to play with the boys. I've been really warmly accepted and there's a great spirit in the team and in the whole club. That's made it easy for me. Also on the pitch we really helped each other and, despite some intense days of training, I thought we gave a good performance.

I'm defensively solid and also like to get forward.
Ludwig Augustinsson

WERDER.DE: How helpful has it been for you to have your buddy Thomas Delaney here? 

Ludwig Augustinsson: It's very good. We were very good friends in Copenhagen and it's great to have him here. He helps me every day, can explain things to me when I don't understand something. But the other players also support me really well.

WERDER.DE: What type of a player are you? How would you describe yourself? 

Ludwig Augustinsson: I would describe myself as a complete player. I'm defensively solid and also like to get forward. I'm left-footed, I'm a good passer and I'm quick. But there are lots of things which I can still improve on. Therefore, I'm looking forward to playing in the Bundesliga. 

WERDER.DE: You've now been training for about a week with Werder. How have your first few days been with your new colleagues? 

Ludwig Augustinsson:
It's been very good, a lot of fun. As I said, it was easy for me to settle in here. Everybody is friendly and helpful. It's a very good group - not just within the team, but also the staff. Everyone tries to integrate the new signings as quickly as possible. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks. 

WERDER.DE: You once said that you would happily train all day long, from morning until evening. Does that also apply during pre-season?

Ludwig Augustinsson:
When we train three times per day, then it can be very difficult to re-energise (laughs). But I do enjoy training, I always want to improve. I like being out on the pitch and having the ball at my feet. I also enjoy running. You have to in pre-season because that way you have best possible fitness for the new season. 

WERDER.DE: Finally, what do you think is possible for this team next season?

Ludwig Augustinsson:
It's hard to say because I don't yet know the other teams well enough. The first half of last season wasn't good, but the second half was very positive. We need to build on that. Personally I have one big aim. I want to play in Europe with Werder. Anything is possible, but we need to be patient and keep working hard. Then we can set targets. 

 

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