With a reprieve from relegation and a cup victory, these have been exciting times for SV Meppen. They will face Hertha BSC in the DFB-Pokal on Sunday (15:30 CEST). For the Berlin-born former Hertha player Florian Egerer, this will be a special game. The 23-year-old spoke about the upcoming fixture for DFB.de with Dominik Dittmar.
DFB.de: SV Meppen got their first win of the 3. Liga season at their second attempt, with a 1-0 win against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. How much of a weight off the shoulders was that for you?
Florian Egerer: Of course, everyone wants to start every season as well as possible. After the 3-1 defeat to Halleschen FC in our first game, we were happy that the wait for our first three points was not much longer. Against Kaiserslautern, we worked well as a team and played with passion. Our goal came in injury time at the end of the first half, which was good timing for us. When we took the lead we didn’t sit back, and if we played a little bit better we might have got a second goal.
DFB.de: Last season ended with Meppen avoiding relegation from the 3 Liga. Do you see this season as a second chance?
Egerer: Of course. We were lucky that KFC Uerdingen 05’s expulsion meant we were staying in the 3. Liga. Last season, we were perhaps a bit naive, and didn’t realise the seriousness of our situation. Eventually that left safety out of our own hands. Now we’re under no illusions that we can do a lot better.
DFB.de: After the end of the 3. Liga season, there were still two games in the regional cup. How difficult was it for you to motivate yourselves for them?
Egerer: We had an attitude to take each game as it came. Even though or season didn’t go as planned, we always felt the support from outside. Because of that, we wanted to give a little something back to the fans by qualifying for the DFB-Pokal, and we did, with the wins against VfB Oldenburg and SV Drochtersen/Assel from the Regionalliga Nord. Now we’re looking forward to the Pokal, which the majority of the current team made possible.
DFB.de: In the first round of the Pokal you are facing the Bundesliga side Hertha BSC. Being from Berlin yourself, is that a dream come true for you?
Egerer: Yes, absolutely. Whereas so many others hoped for Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund, I wished for Hertha. Union Berlin would have also been an exciting game for me personally, but as I was in the academy there for eight years, the emotional connection to Hertha is definitely there.
DFB.de: How do you look back on your time at the “Old Lady”?
Egerer: I learned a lot. There was a lot of importance placed on using your technical ability to work out situations on the pitch. I came on leaps and bounds both technically and tactically. The many tournaments there shaped me.
DFB.de: Through your career so far, you have played with many of the Bundesliga’s current stars, such as Jordan Torunarigha, Maximilian Mittelstädt and Arne Maier. Do you still keep in contact with your old teammates?
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With a reprieve from relegation and a cup victory, these have been exciting times for SV Meppen. They will face Hertha BSC in the DFB-Pokal on Sunday (15:30 CEST). For the Berlin-born former Hertha player Florian Egerer, this will be a special game. The 23-year-old spoke about the upcoming fixture for DFB.de with Dominik Dittmar.
DFB.de: SV Meppen got their first win of the 3. Liga season at their second attempt, with a 1-0 win against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. How much of a weight off the shoulders was that for you?
Florian Egerer: Of course, everyone wants to start every season as well as possible. After the 3-1 defeat to Halleschen FC in our first game, we were happy that the wait for our first three points was not much longer. Against Kaiserslautern, we worked well as a team and played with passion. Our goal came in injury time at the end of the first half, which was good timing for us. When we took the lead we didn’t sit back, and if we played a little bit better we might have got a second goal.
DFB.de: Last season ended with Meppen avoiding relegation from the 3 Liga. Do you see this season as a second chance?
Egerer: Of course. We were lucky that KFC Uerdingen 05’s expulsion meant we were staying in the 3. Liga. Last season, we were perhaps a bit naive, and didn’t realise the seriousness of our situation. Eventually that left safety out of our own hands. Now we’re under no illusions that we can do a lot better.
DFB.de: After the end of the 3. Liga season, there were still two games in the regional cup. How difficult was it for you to motivate yourselves for them?
Egerer: We had an attitude to take each game as it came. Even though or season didn’t go as planned, we always felt the support from outside. Because of that, we wanted to give a little something back to the fans by qualifying for the DFB-Pokal, and we did, with the wins against VfB Oldenburg and SV Drochtersen/Assel from the Regionalliga Nord. Now we’re looking forward to the Pokal, which the majority of the current team made possible.
DFB.de: In the first round of the Pokal you are facing the Bundesliga side Hertha BSC. Being from Berlin yourself, is that a dream come true for you?
Egerer: Yes, absolutely. Whereas so many others hoped for Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund, I wished for Hertha. Union Berlin would have also been an exciting game for me personally, but as I was in the academy there for eight years, the emotional connection to Hertha is definitely there.
DFB.de: How do you look back on your time at the “Old Lady”?
Egerer: I learned a lot. There was a lot of importance placed on using your technical ability to work out situations on the pitch. I came on leaps and bounds both technically and tactically. The many tournaments there shaped me.
DFB.de: Through your career so far, you have played with many of the Bundesliga’s current stars, such as Jordan Torunarigha, Maximilian Mittelstädt and Arne Maier. Do you still keep in contact with your old teammates?
