2014 was a turbulent year for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s Kevin Volland as strong performances for his club led to him being called up for the national team. Even though Volland just missed out on being picked for last summer’s World Cup in Brazil, he found himself as a regular amongst Joachim Löw’s squad during the autumn.
Hoffenheim have the chance to get into the European places this season, whilst in the DFB Cup they have the chance to reach the quarter-finals tonight when they play second division side VfR Aalen (19:00 CET). Volland spoke to DFB.de about his personal development and the upcoming game.
DFB.de: Kevin Volland, what do you know about Aalen?
Kevin Volland: (he laughs) Not a lot to be honest. Aalen weren’t in the 2. Bundesliga when I played for 1860 München. My home town of Memmingen isn’t too far away from Aalen but we were part of Bavaria and Aalen is in Baden-Württemberg so therefore we never played there. But I know that my teammate Andreas Beck comes from Aalen.
DFB.de: How have you been preparing for the game?
Volland: Recuperation has been the focal point following the 2-0 win against Mainz on Saturday. We travelled to Aalen on Monday. The manager analysed the opposition intensely and he showed us the findings on video. We’re focusing on that analysis and it’s not taking too long. Our focus is clear: We want to reach the quarter finals and then anything is possible.
DFB.de: What do you do in your free time? Are you someone who watches football all the time or do you like to switch off?
Volland: I watch it when there’s a particular Champions League or Bundesliga game on. But I use my free time in order to spend time with my girlfriend. I’m not the type of person who watches SkySportNewsHD all the time.
2014 was a turbulent year for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s Kevin Volland as strong performances for his club led to him being called up for the national team. Even though Volland just missed out on being picked for last summer’s World Cup in Brazil, he found himself as a regular amongst Joachim Löw’s squad during the autumn.
Hoffenheim have the chance to get into the European places this season, whilst in the DFB Cup they have the chance to reach the quarter-finals tonight when they play second division side VfR Aalen (19:00 CET). Volland spoke to DFB.de about his personal development and the upcoming game.
DFB.de: Kevin Volland, what do you know about Aalen?
Kevin Volland: (he laughs) Not a lot to be honest. Aalen weren’t in the 2. Bundesliga when I played for 1860 München. My home town of Memmingen isn’t too far away from Aalen but we were part of Bavaria and Aalen is in Baden-Württemberg so therefore we never played there. But I know that my teammate Andreas Beck comes from Aalen.
DFB.de: How have you been preparing for the game?
Volland: Recuperation has been the focal point following the 2-0 win against Mainz on Saturday. We travelled to Aalen on Monday. The manager analysed the opposition intensely and he showed us the findings on video. We’re focusing on that analysis and it’s not taking too long. Our focus is clear: We want to reach the quarter finals and then anything is possible.
DFB.de: What do you do in your free time? Are you someone who watches football all the time or do you like to switch off?
Volland: I watch it when there’s a particular Champions League or Bundesliga game on. But I use my free time in order to spend time with my girlfriend. I’m not the type of person who watches SkySportNewsHD all the time.
DFB.de: How much do you follow how your former club 1860 München are doing? They have problems at the moment.
Volland: Yes I’m interested in it. I played with one of my best friends there, Christopher Schindler. However, I find it difficult to understand what’s going on there. I usually watch other games rather than 1860 games.
DFB.de: TSG didn’t start the year well with three defeats in a row. But you’ve bucked that trend and were victorious last time out. How did you prevent that run from continuing?
Volland: The three defeats were extremely bitter and the atmosphere wasn’t too good. But we pulled ourselves together, worked hard at training and turned things around.
DFB.de: How happy have you been with your performances this season?
Volland: I wasn’t happy with the amount of goals I scored in the first half of the season. But overall I am very happy with my personal development and how the team is doing.
