Interview

Heuer Fernandes: “Defensive stability is an important factor in being successful”

Goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes speaks to HSV.de about the club’s home ground, things the dressing room talks about and the current balance between defensive stability and goals at the other end of the pitch.

This weekend will see Daniel Heuer Fernandes return to his former stomping ground, having played for SC Paderborn 10 years ago. These days, ‘Ferro’ is once again enjoying a fine campaign in goal for the Rothosen, who are looking to finally achieve their target of promotion. He spoke to us about that goal, his love for the Volksparkstadion, what the dressing room discusses and Sunday’s game against SC Paderborn.

Ferro, HSV’s last game was a resounding 3-0 win at home to Kaiserslautern in front of 57,000 fans, with the attackers once again putting on a show. How did you enjoy that from the other end of the pitch and how does it feel when the forwards start working their magic?

In our last game in particular we had real control of the game. One strength of ours is using this control to create good chances. We built up a real period of pressure in the first half and were really aggressive in the way we played. I’m obviously always pleased when our attacking moves work or when we’re aggressive in the way we press.

What is your role in these kinds of moments? Do you sometimes have to remind the lads not to get too carried away and attack too much?

No, I don’t have to do that, but as a defensive player you always try and make sure we have enough players back to defend counter-attacks. This wasn’t an issue at all in the game against Kaiserslautern though, nor was it in the matches beforehand. One focus of our play under Merlin Polzin has been playing a controlled style of football. Defensive stability is an important factor in being successful.

You mentioned defensive stability – we’re a lot more solid than at the start of the season and only Hannover 96 have conceded fewer goals over the course of the campaign. What tweaks were made to result in this improvement?

Aside from the basic principles of defending, we’ve just been able to develop during training every week. We work hard on our defending on the training ground and that means everybody knows their role. It’s important during the chaos of a match that everybody knows where they should be on the pitch, this is something we often work on. We all should know which parts of the pitch are our priorities. Everybody is aware that our defensive stability can then allow us to start attacks, it’s the basis for our attacking play, and the team knows that.

As a goalkeeper, you’re somebody whose position is more about defending. How important for you personally is it to keep clean sheets?

My main focus is on us winning games. You have a better chance of taking all three points if you don’t concede many goals and, as a goalkeeper, you obviously hope to keep a clean sheet because that’s my job. It’s annoying to concede goals as well. I’m happier about a victory but it’s even better to win and not concede because that gives you confidence as a goalkeeper.

The result of a prolific attack and a solid defence is first place in the table. Is that something the dressing room is talking about at the minute?

Not really. We obviously would like to end the season in the position we currently find ourselves in, but right now the way we play football and the things we can improve on are more important to us. There are always little things that can be better and the coaching team focuses on these. Over the course of the full 90 minutes of a game, there will always be things that can be improved on. At the same time, it’s important to also know why we were successful in the last game and to understand what happened for us to perform to our best. Those are the things we talk about as a team.

You’ve experienced what it’s like for HSV to have the favourites tag in recent years, but we all know how that’s turned out. What lessons have you learned that can be helpful this time around?

First of all, the target we all have motivates us to work hard every day. We can’t achieve what we want to without hard work. I’ve obviously picked up a lot of experience over the last few years and I’m trying to use that, though every season is unique. I think we’re really strong as a team this year. We’re a close-knit bunch, do a lot for one another and all enjoy each other’s successes. I hope this will prove key in us finally being successful at the end of this season.

Do experienced players like yourself, Sebastian Schonlau and Jonas Meffert have a special role to play?

Yes, definitely. In my opinion, as leaders we need to make sure every training session helps to improve us. We need to train with the same intensity we play games at. This includes wanting to win every game in training. If we lead from the front as leaders in this regard, this will help the whole team. The younger guys are also really willing to do their bit, but they might lead from the front with their performance instead of vocally. This is exactly what we require. We need every single player if we’re going to be successful.

A win as dominant as the one over Kaiserslautern could lead to over-confidence. Do you want to try and put a lid on that, or would you rather try and build on it, given the team are now on an 11-game unbeaten run?

We definitely want to try and continue building momentum. We need to know why we’re on such a good run. We have to be aware of exactly why we’re having success at the minute. I can sense how confident the team is. We’re genuinely improving with each game and our performance was really solid from the first to the last minute against Kaiserslautern. We controlled proceedings and we need to continue doing so in future games.

The atmosphere in the stadium for the Kaiserslautern game was fantastic. Where does it rank among the best atmospheres you’ve experienced in HSV home games?

It’s tough to say because the list is so long. I’ve experienced so many fantastic games here. It was definitely another amazing atmosphere. Home games here at the Volksparkstadion are simply always a special occasion. The tifo was also really cool and gives you some extra motivation. It was definitely a special game because of how loud it was and I think the fans got more involved because of how the game went. We had goals ruled out but still ended up winning 3-0 on a Friday night. The game had everything you need for a great evening.

There is a famous phrase in football: “You’re only as good as your last game.” Do you have any time during a season to reflect back on wins like Friday’s? Or do you have to immediately switch your focus to the next game?

A win like that gives us confidence. We won 3-0, kept things really tight at the back and we’re currently where we want to be in the table. Nevertheless, we can only really take lessons from the game and nothing more than that. Our full focus is therefore already on our next opponents, SC Paderborn. We have to be at our best if we want to win again this weekend. We immediately started preparing for Paderborn during our first training session of the week.

The next game is a bit of a contrast to last Friday’s, with our matchday 24 fixture being played in the afternoon, away from home at a small ground. How will you prepare for these differences?

We once again have to be ready to face a good side. We’ve played Paderborn on enough occasions in the past. They defend very aggressively, press high up the pitch and can play good football, plus their coach always has a good plan. We have to be prepared for all of these things, even if we’re really excited for the match after our recent performances. We know much quality we possess but we’re also aware that we have to show it on the day.

You’re pretty familiar with Paderborn and know the mentality the club has, as well as possibly some of their players. How do they manage to punch above their weight every year despite being a relatively small club?

It’s been too long since I was there to really judge that fairly. I do however think that Paderborn’s strength is their togetherness. I always know when I face Paderborn that their team will give 100% and make life as difficult as possible for their opponents. That’s always what I expect when I play Paderborn teams. It’s therefore no surprise that they are always near the top of the table every season when they do that every single week.

SCP are solid at the back and, like HSV, have only conceded 29 goals. Could Sunday finish goalless? Or will there be lots of goals?

I obviously hope we’ll keep another clean sheet and I’ll do all I can to ensure that happens. We also will try as a team to make sure it doesn’t finish 0-0, but rather 1-0 to us.