Football is often a game of mentality. Matches are won and lost in your head. These may be typical phrases straight from the football textbook, but they mean a lot more than just words on paper. Every player’s methods are different but at the end of the day, football is all in the head.
To mark the beginning of this season, WERDER.DE are getting inside the minds of the club’s players. Today, cup hero and sharp-shooter Milos Veljkovic is having his brains picked.
WERDER.DE: Would you call yourself more of an instinctive or a thoughtful player?
Milos Veljkovic: “I would say that I am more of an instinctive footballer. I know what I want to do with the ball before I get it – you’ve always got to think about the next move a few seconds before it happens.”
WERDER.DE: It’s important to stay composed in a game and you’re getting better and better at this on a personal level – how do you maintain your inner calm during a match?
Milos Veljkovic: “I always go through the same pre-match routine. I listen to music on the bus, mostly to Serbian songs, and try to remain focused. The Serbian music helps me find my centre.”
WERDER.DE: And if you have free time? As a sportsman it’s also important to turn off at the flick of a switch and to recharge your batteries. How do you clear your head?
Milos Veljkovic: “I can switch off properly and unwind if I spend time with my girlfriend, my family or my friends. It is also important to not speak about football all the time. For example, I don’t really talk about football with my girlfriend or my friends. Obviously I bring my family up to speed and explain what is going on to them. Otherwise I try to separate football from my private life. I play football and am around football every day; that is my job, so I don’t want to always talk about it in my free time.
I saw Theo who celebrating even though the ball hadn’t even gone in yet...Milos Veljkovic on his first Werder goal
WERDER.DE: You scored your first goal for SV Werder at the weekend. What was going through your mind when the ball sailed through the air?
Milos Veljkovic: “At first I looked at the keeper and thought the ball was flying over the crossbar. Then I saw Theo who was celebrating even though the ball hadn’t even gone in yet (laughs). Then I realised that it could go in. I was just so surprised and very happy. I didn’t really have time to celebrate because all the others just stormed straight over to me.”
WERDER.DE: How big is the adjustment from the cup game in which you were favourites to the Bundesliga opener against Hoffenheim, who could potentially be playing in the Champions League group stages this season?
Milos Veljkovic: We will analyse our opponents as always. I think that many of us will watch the Hoffenheim game against Liverpool. It’s important that we don’t play with fear and that we are courageous. We want to carry out our game plan against Hoffenheim. We’re ready both physically and mentally. We are all looking forward to getting the league season underway again. Everyone can sense the anticipation.
WERDER.DE: It was really a neck-and-neck race between the centre backs in pre-season. Did you believe that you would begin the campaign as a regular starter?
Milos Veljkovic: “I felt like I made a significant contribution to our success in the second half of last season - even though, of course, that did not mean that I would definitely be a regular starter this year. I fight for my place like everyone else and try to put in performances. If I continue to do that, then I don’t see why anything will change.
WERDER.DE: What has been your favourite Werder moment?
Milos Veljkovic: “There are definitely a few. One of them is certainly my debut against Wolfsburg. When Theo scored the winner right at the end - that was an amazing feeling. I also have good memories of the game against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Weser-Stadion. That day I was just a spectator in the stands, but the fans were incredible. I had never experienced anything like it. And of course, I have to mention the derby against HSV. Playing in matches like those really is something else. I still remember Florian Kainz’s winner as if it was yesterday.”
WERDER.DE: You’ve already mentioned your first-team debut. You only found out shortly before kick-off that Lamine Sané was injured and that you were going to start. What was the first thought that went through your head?
Milos Veljkovic: “The week before the game I had been training with the U23s. So when I found out I was starting it came as a huge surprise. But then I realised that this was my chance and I had to make it count. So I just said to myself, ‘try and play your best’. I wasn’t overly nervous; I just put myself under pressure. That helps me to stay alert in matches. I always expect a lot of myself.”
