Jiri Pavlenka isn’t a man of many words. Instead, Werder’s number one has let his actions speak for him over the past year. Interviews with the Czech stopper have been as rare as his mistakes in goal. But “Pavlas” has spoken to us about his first twelve months at the Green-Whites.
WERDER.DE: Which nickname do you prefer, cat or octopus?
Jiri Pavlenka: (laughs) “Definitely Octopus. It would be great to have eight arms. But I guess then I’d have a heavier stomach.”
WERDER.DE: You recovered after an exhausting season with some R&R in Greece this summer. Was it Greece expert Drobo who tipped you off about going there?
Jiri Pavlenka: “No. My girlfriend Misa and I have been to Greece three times now. We were a bit unlucky with the weather this year – out of eight days that we were there, on five of the days it started raining at about 1pm and then just poured down for hours on end. Despite that it was a divine holiday – we got engaged!”
WERDER.DE: You had a fantastic first season at Werder. Did you think it would go that well or did you surprise yourself too?
Jiri Pavlenka: “The first three months were really hard for me. I spoke practically zero German because I had never learnt it at school and didn’t speak much English either. I practically learnt English and German at the same time. But I was lucky to have both Theo and Drobo who helped me enormously. But on the pitch, honestly, for me, the way the season went was something out of my wildest dreams.”
WERDER.DE: And now you understand German really well and you speak it well too! Despite that you don’t really like giving interviews…
Jiri Pavlenka: “That’s right that I understand a lot of it but I still need time. My fiancée and I have had lessons once or twice a week. I also try talking German to my teammates. But if I’m not sure what exactly the question is or if I feel like I can’t fully express what I want to say, I prefer not to say anything. Therefore I don’t really like giving interviews.”
WERDER.DE: What’s the hardest thing about learning German?
Jiri Pavlenka: “Just my own laziness (laughs).”
WERDER.DE: What are the moments that come to mind when you look back on your last twelve months at Werder?
Jiri Pavlenka: “The best game was definitely the game against Dortmund and my hardest moment was when I made the mistake in the Schalke game.
WERDER.DE: “Obviously everyone is interested in your future. What are your thoughts on that?
Jiri Pavlenka: “I feel great at Werder but I still need to improve in many areas. I want to work on my weaknesses. But it’s just as important in my opinion, to constantly think about what I’m doing well too.”
WERDER.DE: The last season was a turbulent one in the Czech national team too. With the national team, you have three very similarly-matched keepers. As Werder fans, we often look at it and ask ourselves, who actually is the number one goalkeeper?
Jiri Pavlenka: “That is a typical question from a Czech reporter (laughs). The situation is unclear at the moment. Tomas Vaclik has moved to FC Sevilla and Tomas Koubek had a great season at Rennes. We just need to wait to see how it develops. I think that the performances at the start of this season will be crucial.”
WERDER.DE: Did you always want to be a goalkeeper?
Jiri Pavlenka: “I played up front a few times when I was younger. But at some point I stopped playing for about six months and then when I started it up again, I went in goal. And that’s how it happened. I actually would’ve liked to have been an ice hockey goalkeeper but it’s a really expensive sport – even as a kid. You have to buy all the equipment and every six months, you need to buy new things. Therefore that wasn’t going to happen…”
WERDER.DE: Did you have an idol when you were younger?
Jiri Pavlenka: “Yes, I looked up to Edwin van der Sar and Gianluigi Buffon when I was growing up. Then of course Petr Cech, who also comes from the Czech Republic. At the start of my 20s, I was in the national squad three times with him. He is such a big role model for me, especially because of his incredible professionalism.”
