Davie Selke has been a revelation at Werder Bremen. The youngster made three appearances last season before winning the European U19 Championship with Germany in 2014. This season he has scored four goals and set up two more. Ahead of Sunday’s game against Hertha BSC (15:30 CET), the striker spoke to DFB.de about fighting relegation, the Bremen supporters and European success.
DFB.de: Mr Selke, you face Hertha BSC on Sunday. Is the game more important because the five following games are against teams in the top seven?
Davie Selke: We are going to treat every game like a final; we’re going to fight throughout. A successful start would obviously be great.
DFB.de: Has the surprise victory over Borussia Dortmund last time out increased self confidence levels?
Selke: We showed that we have a lot of quality. We played well at home with the fans behind our back and managed to beat a top side. We will take these feelings into the coming games.
DFB.de: You got a goal and assist in the match. Was it the best game of your career to date?
Selke: I think so. It was great to help the team to a home victory.
DFB.de: You are 16th in the table but you’ve not been cut adrift as the league is tight this year…
Davie Selke has been a revelation at Werder Bremen. The youngster made three appearances last season before winning the European U19 Championship with Germany in 2014. This season he has scored four goals and set up two more. Ahead of Sunday’s game against Hertha BSC (15:30 CET), the striker spoke to DFB.de about fighting relegation, the Bremen supporters and European success.
DFB.de: Mr Selke, you face Hertha BSC on Sunday. Is the game more important because the five following games are against teams in the top seven?
Davie Selke: We are going to treat every game like a final; we’re going to fight throughout. A successful start would obviously be great.
DFB.de: Has the surprise victory over Borussia Dortmund last time out increased self confidence levels?
Selke: We showed that we have a lot of quality. We played well at home with the fans behind our back and managed to beat a top side. We will take these feelings into the coming games.
DFB.de: You got a goal and assist in the match. Was it the best game of your career to date?
Selke: I think so. It was great to help the team to a home victory.
DFB.de: You are 16th in the table but you’ve not been cut adrift as the league is tight this year…
Selke: We’re not happy with our position but the fact that things are tight is a plus. We can quickly pull ourselves away from danger.
DFB.de: Do the supporters fear relegation?
Selke: The whole city supports us, which is great. They’ve stuck with us even when we’ve played badly. The fans are incredible and are a great help.
DFB.de: You’ve said it feels strange to be applauded by the fans after a bad performance.
Selke: It’s a weird feeling. Sometimes we’ve been applauded and cheered when we didn’t really deserve it. The supporters stood up and cheered us. It’s an odd sensation.
DFB.de: Despite that, the support has to be a good thing, as you have a lot of young players at Bremen.
Selke: Exactly. The young players bring energy to the team and the fans forgive them for some mistakes. This does in part explain why some of us have put in great performances this season. The experienced guys also get great levels of support.
DFB.de: The winter training camp was dogged by poor weather in Belek. Was this problematic?
Selke: Training camps are incredibly important. The weather wasn’t what he wanted. It was only a couple of degrees warmer than Germany, but we still worked hard.
DFB.de: Levin Öztunali is a recent offensive addition to the squad. Are you to competing for the chance to play alongside Franco di Santo?
Selke: Franco is a regular. We’ll have to wait and see who plays alongside him. Levin is a versatile player.
DFB.de: You didn’t just win the European Championship; you were also top scorer, having scored six goals. Are you enjoying playing in the Bundesliga?
Selke: The European Championship and golden boot was a springboard for the whole team, not just myself. The Bundesliga and the U19 Championship are different: The Bundesliga is quicker and the players are more experienced.
DFB.de: After winning the title, offers from other clubs came in. Why did you choose to stay with Bremen until 2018?
Selke: I was told that I would be playing more frequently and that the club weren’t going to be spending millions on another striker. They stuck to their word and it seems it will continue that way.
DFB.de: Has playing in 14 Bundesliga games this season already surpassed your expectations?
Selke: I never thought I would play this frequently. I’m delighted to have played so much already. I scored for Bremen against FV Illertissen in the DFB Cup soon after the European Championship, which showed that I can also score goals at club level.
DFB.de: You’ve gone from a hot talent so a celebrated Bundesliga player quickly. A lot of guys would let that go to their head.
Selke: You have to stay humble and be grateful for what has happened so far. Thankfully I have a good group of people around me: My family and my advisor. I would say that I’ve taken a big step forward, but I still haven’t achieved anything. It’s important that you don’t stop working hard to achieve your goals.
DFB.de: What do you want to work on?
Selke: I would like to work on how I get involved with counter attacks, for example.
DFB.de: You’re a typical striker. What do you make of the discussion surrounding the future of the role?
Selke: No. Every team needs a traditional central striker. Consequently, the discussion doesn’t interest me.
DFB.de: Do you have a role model?
Selke: Mario Gomez. I was influenced by his style. He has been criticised and has had a few setbacks but he has always fought back. That really impressed me. I believe that even now he will come back strongly.
DFB.de: As a youngster you moved about a bit. You played for Stuttgarter Kickers, VfB Stuttgart, 1. FC Normannia Gmünd and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, before joining Bremen in the 2012/13 season. Why did you move about so much?
Selke: I’ll summarise what happened: I moved from Kickers to VfB because they’re the biggest club in the area. They had previously said no to me. After a year there we parted company. I then joined Normannia Gmünd but moved to Hoffenheim soon after and was there for four years. Finally, I moved to Bremen.
DFB.de: Is it difficult for a young player to keep moving?
Selke: I think it was advantageous for my personal development. I have had to make new friends, meet new people and provide for myself.
