On his 41st birthday, Bremer SV head coach Benjamin Eta had more than just one reason to celebrate, as his team were drawn against record winners FC Bayern in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. The head coach spoke to DFB.de after the draw about the biggest game in the club’s history and new Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann.
DFB.de: As a result of being drawn against FC Bayern, Bremer SV have suddenly become a talking point across the whole country. How did you personally react to the outcome?
Benjamin Eta: It was just crazy. After I got through answering the first 100 or 150 WhatsApp messages, there were another 250 waiting for me. And that’s not even counting Facebook and Instagram. I was on my phone until 3am, and by the next morning there were another 80 messages. Of course, a few of them were people wishing me a happy birthday, but most of them were about the Bayern game.
DFB.de: You couldn’t have wished for a better birthday party, then?
Eta: Because my wife Marie-Louise, who works as an assistant coach for the U15 Germany women's team and also for the youth team of SV Werder Bremen women, was away with the national team, I wanted to watch the cup draw relaxed with the boys. We were doing exactly that – until Thomas Broich paired us with Bayern in the draw, then a big party broke out – thanks again for that! (laughs)
DFB.de: Be honest: were you hoping to be drawn against FC Bayern?
Eta: As a Hamburg native it might sound a bit strange, but I've been a fan of Bayer 04 Leverkusen since I was a kid. I saw them play HSV at the Volksparkstadion when I was only six years old, and was completely in awe. That's why Bayer 04 would have been my first choice. But, if it can't be Leverkusen, then I guess Bayern will do (laughs). It's definitely a huge moment for the club and all of us.
DFB.de: What are you most looking forward to?
Eta: Outside of the game itself, I'd love to be able to spend five or ten minutes talking to Bayern's new head coach Julian Nagelsmann. In my opinion, he's already the best coach in Germany. He was always going to be successful, in my eyes.
DFB.de: What is it that you like about Julian Nagelsmann?
Eta: I took part in a coaching seminar in Kassel where Julian was speaking. I could see right away that he was a coach who knows how to formulate his ideas and actions. His style of play and manner of thinking was already clear to see during his time at both Hoffenheim and Leipzig. Every team that he's been in charge of has undergone a tremendous development. I'm confident that that will also be the case in Munich.
DFB.de: The Pokal game against Bremer SV will be Julian Nagelsmann's first competitive fixture in charge of Bayern. He'd better not lose it, right?
Eta: Losing is never acceptable when you're the head coach of FC Bayern. So, that's nothing new. We also won't start talking about any upsets or anything like that now. We know where we stand. But, we definitely want to give Julian a reason to have to shout during the game and pose a challenge for his side. That's our goal.
DFB.de: The Bremer SV stadium holds a maximum of 5,000 fans, but only 1,000 would be permitted as things stand. Are there plans to move the game to Werder’s Weserstadion?
Eta: The club, together with the DFB, will decide on the best solution, not just because of the coronavirus restrictions. We will have to work out whether or not renting the Weserstadion will be worth it financially. My personal wish would be for us to at least stay in Bremen, whether that’s at our ground, at the Weserstadion or even “Platz11” nearby, which has actually been used for 3. Liga games in the past.
DFB.de: Your team were the last to qualify for the 2021/22 DFB-Pokal, playing five games inside 13 days after a break of almost nine months! How was that for you?
Eta: I’d firstly like to say that we’re really thankful to the Bremen football association and the other clubs for the fact that we managed to finish the cup in time on the pitch. It was a bit of struggle, of course, but that’s what we wanted. Otherwise, FC Oberneuland, in the division above us, would have qualified as the highest-placed side, but instead we got a decision through matches.
DFB.de: You beat them 4-1 in the semi-finals and then won the final 2-1 against Brinkumer SV from your league. How did you manage that?
Eta: Despite the long enforced break, the whole coaching team tried their best to keep the lads as fit as possible to prepare for a possible restart of the league or cup. Everybody trained individually and went running. At some stages, us the coaches were on the pitch for up to eight hours a day working with players on their own. This must have paid off, as our results from the past few weeks have shown. We’ve also therefore deserved such an attractive draw.
DFB.de: How will you prepare for the biggest match in the club’s history?
Eta: We will have a little break for the lads to recover. From 10th July, the players will start their individual training plans and then a week after we’ll start team training again. That should be enough for Bayern (laughs).
DFB.de: How pleased are you that your league campaign only starts two weeks after the Pokal game?
Eta: Us coaches are glad about it. Putting Bayern aside, our aim for the upcoming season is to get promoted to the Regionalliga Nord. Bremer SV have won the Bremen-Liga five times and failed to go up from the promotion play-offs each time, so our goal is to finally go up this season. That’s actually more important than a game against FC Bayern.
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On his 41st birthday, Bremer SV head coach Benjamin Eta had more than just one reason to celebrate, as his team were drawn against record winners FC Bayern in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. The head coach spoke to DFB.de after the draw about the biggest game in the club’s history and new Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann.
DFB.de: As a result of being drawn against FC Bayern, Bremer SV have suddenly become a talking point across the whole country. How did you personally react to the outcome?
Benjamin Eta: It was just crazy. After I got through answering the first 100 or 150 WhatsApp messages, there were another 250 waiting for me. And that’s not even counting Facebook and Instagram. I was on my phone until 3am, and by the next morning there were another 80 messages. Of course, a few of them were people wishing me a happy birthday, but most of them were about the Bayern game.
DFB.de: You couldn’t have wished for a better birthday party, then?
Eta: Because my wife Marie-Louise, who works as an assistant coach for the U15 Germany women's team and also for the youth team of SV Werder Bremen women, was away with the national team, I wanted to watch the cup draw relaxed with the boys. We were doing exactly that – until Thomas Broich paired us with Bayern in the draw, then a big party broke out – thanks again for that! (laughs)
DFB.de: Be honest: were you hoping to be drawn against FC Bayern?
Eta: As a Hamburg native it might sound a bit strange, but I've been a fan of Bayer 04 Leverkusen since I was a kid. I saw them play HSV at the Volksparkstadion when I was only six years old, and was completely in awe. That's why Bayer 04 would have been my first choice. But, if it can't be Leverkusen, then I guess Bayern will do (laughs). It's definitely a huge moment for the club and all of us.
DFB.de: What are you most looking forward to?
Eta: Outside of the game itself, I'd love to be able to spend five or ten minutes talking to Bayern's new head coach Julian Nagelsmann. In my opinion, he's already the best coach in Germany. He was always going to be successful, in my eyes.
DFB.de: What is it that you like about Julian Nagelsmann?
Eta: I took part in a coaching seminar in Kassel where Julian was speaking. I could see right away that he was a coach who knows how to formulate his ideas and actions. His style of play and manner of thinking was already clear to see during his time at both Hoffenheim and Leipzig. Every team that he's been in charge of has undergone a tremendous development. I'm confident that that will also be the case in Munich.
DFB.de: The Pokal game against Bremer SV will be Julian Nagelsmann's first competitive fixture in charge of Bayern. He'd better not lose it, right?
Eta: Losing is never acceptable when you're the head coach of FC Bayern. So, that's nothing new. We also won't start talking about any upsets or anything like that now. We know where we stand. But, we definitely want to give Julian a reason to have to shout during the game and pose a challenge for his side. That's our goal.
DFB.de: The Bremer SV stadium holds a maximum of 5,000 fans, but only 1,000 would be permitted as things stand. Are there plans to move the game to Werder’s Weserstadion?
Eta: The club, together with the DFB, will decide on the best solution, not just because of the coronavirus restrictions. We will have to work out whether or not renting the Weserstadion will be worth it financially. My personal wish would be for us to at least stay in Bremen, whether that’s at our ground, at the Weserstadion or even “Platz11” nearby, which has actually been used for 3. Liga games in the past.
DFB.de: Your team were the last to qualify for the 2021/22 DFB-Pokal, playing five games inside 13 days after a break of almost nine months! How was that for you?
Eta: I’d firstly like to say that we’re really thankful to the Bremen football association and the other clubs for the fact that we managed to finish the cup in time on the pitch. It was a bit of struggle, of course, but that’s what we wanted. Otherwise, FC Oberneuland, in the division above us, would have qualified as the highest-placed side, but instead we got a decision through matches.
DFB.de: You beat them 4-1 in the semi-finals and then won the final 2-1 against Brinkumer SV from your league. How did you manage that?
Eta: Despite the long enforced break, the whole coaching team tried their best to keep the lads as fit as possible to prepare for a possible restart of the league or cup. Everybody trained individually and went running. At some stages, us the coaches were on the pitch for up to eight hours a day working with players on their own. This must have paid off, as our results from the past few weeks have shown. We’ve also therefore deserved such an attractive draw.
DFB.de: How will you prepare for the biggest match in the club’s history?
Eta: We will have a little break for the lads to recover. From 10th July, the players will start their individual training plans and then a week after we’ll start team training again. That should be enough for Bayern (laughs).
DFB.de: How pleased are you that your league campaign only starts two weeks after the Pokal game?
Eta: Us coaches are glad about it. Putting Bayern aside, our aim for the upcoming season is to get promoted to the Regionalliga Nord. Bremer SV have won the Bremen-Liga five times and failed to go up from the promotion play-offs each time, so our goal is to finally go up this season. That’s actually more important than a game against FC Bayern.
