Training camps are all about laying the foundations for taking on imminent challenges. The winter break, however, also gives teams the chance to look back. After half a year at Werder, it is time for Davy Klaassen to reflect and summarise on the Bundesliga Hinrnde. The 25-year-old spoke to us in an interview about why he celebrated Christmas in Bremen, where his visible identity connection with Werder comes from, and about his role within the team.
WERDER.DE: Let’s start in the present: How are you finding the facilities and the surroundings here at the training camp in South Africa?
Davy Klaassen: "It really is very nice here. Completely different conditions from Bremen, the pitch is different from a European one: It’s a bit shorter, but it feels good. The weather is also nice and warm, the thunderstorms in the last couple of days aside. The high altitude here will also help us when we’re back in Bremen"
WERDER.DE: Is that the nicest part of the winter break – going abroad and experiencing something other than the training ground in Bremen?
Davy Klaassen: "Yes. First and foremost it’s always good to spend a week together with your teammates. It inevitably leads to a different kind of unison, a different team spirit. You get to know your teammates better, which is good for me, since I’ve not really been at the club that long. Aside from that, it’s nice for me to be here this year, seeing a different part of the world, so I’m very pleased to be spending these ten days in South Africa."
WERDER.DE: Let’s talk about the first half of the season. You are currently 10th with 22 points on the board. Are you satisfied with things as they stand?
Davy Klaassen: "No, not really. We should definitely have more points than we do. We have made too many little individual errors that have cost us a better position in the table."
WERDER.DE: As a new signing, you found your feet in the team relatively quickly. How pleased are you with your own personal performance so far?
Davy Klaassen: "We started the season really well as a team. I felt really good on the pitch. After that we suffered a number of defeats and I didn’t always play well either. So I’m not satisfied, but I never am with my own performances. There is still a lot to improve on and I believe in myself doing so and playing better again."
WERDER.DE: At Werder you are taking on a lot of central attacking midfield roles. How happy are you with this role?
Davy Klaassen: "Honestly, I am very happy about it. It’s part of my style of play, the way I’m playing currently. I had this role at Ajax as well, perhaps a little more offensive. At Werder I have a lot of freedom, to attack and to defend, which I like a lot."
We always want the ball, we want to take the game to the opposition and not sit back.Davy Klaassen
WERDER.DE: It comes across as though the way Werder play suits you perfectly…
Davy Klaassen: "That is true. We always want the ball, we want to take the game to the opposition and not sit back. That’s why I feel so at home here. I like to have the ball at my feet."
WERDER.DE: What feels better – dispossessing an opponent with a successful slide tackle, or a pass that opens up a whole new passage for the team?
Davy Klaassen (laughs): "They’re both nice feelings! It always depends on the situation, but if I had to decide and pick one then it would be the pass that opens up the play."
WERDER.DE: Looking to the future: Hannover and Frankfurt await to start the second half of the season. Eintracht Frankfurt especially are tough to beat. How are you approaching these difficult games mentally?
Davy Klaassen: "I think we need to win both games, especially the one against Hannover 96, because they’re in the relegation zone. I am convinced that we are the better team. Frankfurt didn’t start the Hinrunde quite so well, but went from strength to strength. If we want to reach our target of qualifying for Europe then we need to win these games."
WERDER.DE: You spent Christmas with your whole family in Bremen. How at home do you feel now by the Weser?
Davy Klaassen: "I feel very-much at home here, it’s actually like home. Recently I’ve not been back in the Netherlands a lot. My family visits me a lot in Bremen, since it’s not so far away. I think that’s a good sign."
WERDER.DE: From watching you in interviews, for example in the YouTube quiz, it appears as though you really identify with Werder. This isn’t a false impression is it?
Davy Klaassen: "No. I feel great here and I believe it isn’t possible for me to play well without having a close connection to the club…"
