Jean-Manuel Mbom made his first start for Germany U21s against Israel, and that wasn’t the only reason why this match was special for the Werder Bremen player, because his appearance in this game confirms his decision to represent Germany at international level. He spoke to dfb.de on this decision, his new position and the U21s’ upcoming match against Hungary on Tuesday (17:30 CEST).
DFB.de: That was some game against Israel, Mr. Mbom! How much of a relief was it to turn the game around in the final stages?
Jean-Manuel Mbom: It was a great feeling when we scored the last-minute winner. It shows the strong character of our team as well as our quality. There were a lot of big grins on people’s faces the next day.
DFB.de: You could really see the team’s desire to find a goal.
Mbom: We’d been knocking on the door but the Israel goalkeeper was making some good saves. However, we stayed calm and played our natural game, we always kept believing and continued to attack.
DFB.de: You didn’t just draw level at the end, but you even went on to win the game. Were you surprised?
Mbom: I was convinced we were the better team and that the goals would come if we stayed patient and stuck to our game plan. It was great to get our reward in the form of a 3-2 win, we can be very proud of ourselves.
DFB.de: It was the first game for new head coach Antonio Di Salvo. What did he say to the team before the game?
Mbom: He got us all hyped up for the game and gave each player his instructions and that prepared us well for the game. We were aware that he’s originally from Paderborn and that meant this first game meant even more to him, so we wanted to give it our all to try and win together with him.
DFB.de: How did he react to the game at full-time?
Mbom: He got us all in a huddle and thanked everyone, and you could see it was an emotional moment for him. It was a special game for him, and the lads and I were so happy that we got a good result. We had some great food after the game as well (laughs).
DFB.de: It was also a special game for you, as you are now officially a Germany U21 national team player. You’ve been thinking about this decision for a long time. Can you describe what’s been going on from your perspective in the last few weeks?
Mbom: I was asked to play in the international matches in September, and I knew that at this age group if I was to have played it would have meant I’d made a definitive decision to represent Germany. Over the course of this process I wanted to pause and think about it at length and speak calmly with my family, because it’s a big decision to make at the age of 21. I feel a strong connection to two countries, because my father is from Cameroon and my mother from Germany, and I feel a sense of belonging to both nations. For me, it was about having respect for my parents and their heritage. After our discussions I decided rather quickly that I choose to represent Germany. I’m proud to wear the national team shirt and I was happy to make my first start against Israel on Thursday. I’m very thankful to the DFB for the opportunity to play in many of their national youth teams and to be a part of the national team setup, and I’m glad that this is going to continue.
DFB.de: What’s your connection to your father’s native Cameroon?
Mbom: A lot of my family live there, and they are really supportive, watch all my games and are proud of me. They speak French there, as have I since I was a kid. And I have a special connection with my father because he introduced me to football. I have fond memories of us on the training pitch when he would put crosses into the box for me so I could work on my headers. All this connects me to Cameroon and have helped shape the player and man I am today.
DFB.de: You’re playing at right-back for the U21s now just as you do in Bremen. Is that becoming your regular position?
Mbom: I’ve played a lot at right-back for Werder this season. I want to develop as a player in this position and work on any potential areas for improvement there. If I start playing at right-back for the U21s more and more, then that will of course apply to me here. It’s a bit of a new position for me, but I’m good at adapting to new challenges, I enjoy it. I still view myself as a central midfielder, though.
DFB.de: What’s different about these positions in your opinion? What qualities are required of a midfielder as opposed to a full-back?
Mbom: Naturally, you play deeper as a defender and the consequences of a challenge are somewhat greater than when you are in midfield. If the attacker gets past you, it’s likely he’ll be through on goal. You’re always involved in the action in midfield, you have to play and run in all different directions over a larger part of the pitch, but there are also similarities between the positions.
DFB.de: What are they?
Mbom: I can show my strength in the tackle in both these positions, as well as my willingness to run a lot, and of course the basics of football are pertinent to both these positions, such as mentality, communication and enjoyment.
DFB.de: Three games and three wins is a great start for this year group, and they’ve picked up from where last year’s U21s left off. How far has the team come?
Mbom: We’ve got big shoes to fill in terms of emulating the success of the last group, but we’ve made a good start so far. Three wins from three speak for themselves and so does the spirit that we showed against Israel. But we’ll need to keep taking it game by game and stay level-headed. If we manage to do that, we’ll have a great chance of achieving big things with this squad. We have a lot of great players, and most of all great people, which is crucial for team morale.
DFB.de: So, let’s take it game by game. Your next one is against Hungary. What are you expecting there?
Mbom: They’re a good team and they’ve picked up four points so far. They got a last minute equaliser against Poland which says a lot about their team. We cannot underestimate any team in this group and really need to focus on every match. If we do that against Hungary, we will be successful.
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Jean-Manuel Mbom made his first start for Germany U21s against Israel, and that wasn’t the only reason why this match was special for the Werder Bremen player, because his appearance in this game confirms his decision to represent Germany at international level. He spoke to dfb.de on this decision, his new position and the U21s’ upcoming match against Hungary on Tuesday (17:30 CEST).
DFB.de: That was some game against Israel, Mr. Mbom! How much of a relief was it to turn the game around in the final stages?
Jean-Manuel Mbom: It was a great feeling when we scored the last-minute winner. It shows the strong character of our team as well as our quality. There were a lot of big grins on people’s faces the next day.
DFB.de: You could really see the team’s desire to find a goal.
Mbom: We’d been knocking on the door but the Israel goalkeeper was making some good saves. However, we stayed calm and played our natural game, we always kept believing and continued to attack.
DFB.de: You didn’t just draw level at the end, but you even went on to win the game. Were you surprised?
Mbom: I was convinced we were the better team and that the goals would come if we stayed patient and stuck to our game plan. It was great to get our reward in the form of a 3-2 win, we can be very proud of ourselves.
DFB.de: It was the first game for new head coach Antonio Di Salvo. What did he say to the team before the game?
Mbom: He got us all hyped up for the game and gave each player his instructions and that prepared us well for the game. We were aware that he’s originally from Paderborn and that meant this first game meant even more to him, so we wanted to give it our all to try and win together with him.
DFB.de: How did he react to the game at full-time?
Mbom: He got us all in a huddle and thanked everyone, and you could see it was an emotional moment for him. It was a special game for him, and the lads and I were so happy that we got a good result. We had some great food after the game as well (laughs).
DFB.de: It was also a special game for you, as you are now officially a Germany U21 national team player. You’ve been thinking about this decision for a long time. Can you describe what’s been going on from your perspective in the last few weeks?
Mbom: I was asked to play in the international matches in September, and I knew that at this age group if I was to have played it would have meant I’d made a definitive decision to represent Germany. Over the course of this process I wanted to pause and think about it at length and speak calmly with my family, because it’s a big decision to make at the age of 21. I feel a strong connection to two countries, because my father is from Cameroon and my mother from Germany, and I feel a sense of belonging to both nations. For me, it was about having respect for my parents and their heritage. After our discussions I decided rather quickly that I choose to represent Germany. I’m proud to wear the national team shirt and I was happy to make my first start against Israel on Thursday. I’m very thankful to the DFB for the opportunity to play in many of their national youth teams and to be a part of the national team setup, and I’m glad that this is going to continue.
DFB.de: What’s your connection to your father’s native Cameroon?
Mbom: A lot of my family live there, and they are really supportive, watch all my games and are proud of me. They speak French there, as have I since I was a kid. And I have a special connection with my father because he introduced me to football. I have fond memories of us on the training pitch when he would put crosses into the box for me so I could work on my headers. All this connects me to Cameroon and have helped shape the player and man I am today.
DFB.de: You’re playing at right-back for the U21s now just as you do in Bremen. Is that becoming your regular position?
Mbom: I’ve played a lot at right-back for Werder this season. I want to develop as a player in this position and work on any potential areas for improvement there. If I start playing at right-back for the U21s more and more, then that will of course apply to me here. It’s a bit of a new position for me, but I’m good at adapting to new challenges, I enjoy it. I still view myself as a central midfielder, though.
DFB.de: What’s different about these positions in your opinion? What qualities are required of a midfielder as opposed to a full-back?
Mbom: Naturally, you play deeper as a defender and the consequences of a challenge are somewhat greater than when you are in midfield. If the attacker gets past you, it’s likely he’ll be through on goal. You’re always involved in the action in midfield, you have to play and run in all different directions over a larger part of the pitch, but there are also similarities between the positions.
DFB.de: What are they?
Mbom: I can show my strength in the tackle in both these positions, as well as my willingness to run a lot, and of course the basics of football are pertinent to both these positions, such as mentality, communication and enjoyment.
DFB.de: Three games and three wins is a great start for this year group, and they’ve picked up from where last year’s U21s left off. How far has the team come?
Mbom: We’ve got big shoes to fill in terms of emulating the success of the last group, but we’ve made a good start so far. Three wins from three speak for themselves and so does the spirit that we showed against Israel. But we’ll need to keep taking it game by game and stay level-headed. If we manage to do that, we’ll have a great chance of achieving big things with this squad. We have a lot of great players, and most of all great people, which is crucial for team morale.
DFB.de: So, let’s take it game by game. Your next one is against Hungary. What are you expecting there?
Mbom: They’re a good team and they’ve picked up four points so far. They got a last minute equaliser against Poland which says a lot about their team. We cannot underestimate any team in this group and really need to focus on every match. If we do that against Hungary, we will be successful.
