58 games, 23 goals and 17 assists for Werder. Max Kruse. As a key player and leader, he is of vital importance to head coach Florian Kohfeldt. For the coming season, he now has another role to play: captain. Speaking to WERDER.DE, the 30-year-old discusses his appointment, his leadership style and what he expects of the team.
WERDER.DE: Max, Florian Kohfeldt has named you captain. What does it mean to you to lead Werder Bremen?
Max Kruse: “It means a lot. I took my first steps as a professional footballer at this club. The fact that I’m now captain is recognition of the work that I’ve put in over the past few years. I’ve matured into more of a leader and I hope that I can represent the team accordingly as captain.”
WERDER.DE: This isn’t a completely new experience for you; you’ve worn the captain’s armband on the pitch many a time. Is something different this time?
Max Kruse: "Last year, Zlatko Junuzovic was our captain, so it’s definitely a different feeling for me. Having the captaincy demands a lot from me in every department, not just on the pitch. We spoke about this a lot before the decision was made. I’m aware of the responsibility and I want to carry out the role in the best way possible. For me, being captain of Werder Bremen is a great honour."
WERDER.DE: How would you describe your leadership style?
Max Kruse: "It’s difficult to put into words. I want to bring the whole team together and cultivate a strong bond with the senior players committee, too, in order to develop a good hierarchy and a strong team spirit within the club. Everyone in the team, including myself, must work together to achieve this."
WERDER.DE: So, there should be a level playing field between the senior players committee and the rest of the team…
Max Kruse: "In a sense, yeah. In any case, we’re a team where everyone can and should voice their opinions. However, if you’ve only played 30 games for a club, you can’t be involved in every decision. That’s why we have a group of leaders and the captain; to make decisions for the team. I’m sure that we will go about this in the right way."
WERDER.DE: But every player needs to take responsibility, don’t they?
Max Kruse: "Yeah, everyone should take responsibility when they’re on the pitch; it’s vital for their own performance and of course the performance of the team. During a game, the captain must set an example to really get this point across."
“A hierarchy does a team good”Max Kruse
WERDER.DE: You trained with the Werder Bremen first team as a youth player. Now, as one of the more experienced players, how will you deal with the younger members of the team?
Max Kruse: "I’ll treat every player the same. When you’re taking your first steps into professional football, like I was doing at that time, you obviously need a bit of support and guidance from the older members of the squad, so I know that there’ll be players who I need to help out. That goes for off the pitch as well. I won’t treat them any differently to anyone else, I’ll just chat to them one-on-one. This will help the team to identify with the captain and also the other way around. As I spend more time at Werder and find out more about how the team works, I think that I’ll be able to do the role justice."
WERDER.DE: Experience is a key word. You’ve played under several captains in your time, what advice have you picked up along the way?
Max Kruse: "There are different ways of leading a team. Everyone deals with certain situations in their own way. This is new territory for me, so it might take a bit of time to get used to. Of course, I’ll learn from the tasks that a captain must carry out, but the rest will come with time."
WERDER.DE: Who’s the best captain that you’ve played under?
Max Kruse: "That’s difficult to say. I still get on well with all of them and I don’t want to single anyone out. I’ll try to bring my own style to the roll."
WERDER.DE: In football, the concept of equal responsibility is often pitted against the need for leaders. Which is better in your opinion?
Max Kruse: "A hierarchy does a team good. Everyone has their own opinion and should express themselves, but it can be difficult when there are eleven players with eleven opinions on the pitch. Because of this, it’s important that there is a clear hierarchy during a game. You only need four or five players to lay out a tactic."
