Interview
10.01.24
Miro Muheim: “It was very intense”
In this interview with HSV.de, Miro Muheim speaks about the training camp in Sotogrande, tomorrow’s friendly against his childhood club, FC Zürich, and his goals for the second half of the 2023/24 season.
The Rothosen’s schedule at their training camp in Sotogrande has been so packed at times that scheduling interviews hasn’t been particularly easy. Nevertheless, Miro Muheim found a short window for a conversation between lunch and getting taped for the afternoon session during a busy day on Tuesday. There have been several things going on: The left-back has completed every single session in the South of Spain and is a suitable candidate to give a summary of the trip so far as a result, whilst tomorrow’s friendly against FC Zurich is also a special game for the Swiss player. Miro Max Maria Muheim was born in Zurich on 24th March 1998 and grew up in the industrial distric tof the city. “Quattro M” joined FCZ’s youth academy at the age of five and was part of FCZ’s academy for about a decade, before rounding off his youth career at Chelsea FC (2014-16). It will be a special reunion for the now 25-year-old, which he spoke about on Wednesday. He also addressed the triring training camp in Sotogrande and the upcoming second half of the season in the 2. Liga. There was also an unexpected surprise for Muheim and his teammates during the chat.
Miro, the training camp has been quite something: There are two training sessions almost every day, as well as additional sessions in the hotel’s pool and gym. What have you made of it all?
Above all, it’s very demanding. Admittedly, that’s normal for a training camp, but things have been especially intense this time: We’ve now completed four training sessions a day for several days, we’re usually already up at 7 in the morning and usually only head back to our rooms at 10 in the evening. In general, we’ve had lots of good sessions, during which we’ve worked purposefully in many areas. It’s made us feel good about the coming weeks and months.
From the outside, you get the impression that you’ve embraced the intensity demanded by the coaching staff really well and want to up your game.
That’s right. Yesterday is a good example of that: We were all extremely tired, but we gave everything during the two training sessions on the pitch. It was very intense, with plenty of discussions and also some trash talk. Personally, I find it great when you also challenge each other in this way, as long as it’s done respectfully. It was special yesterday and it was also fun to see how everybody got stuck in.
Friendlies are also always part of a training camp. You played against PSV a couple of days ago and faced off against Belgian talent Johan Bakayoko. How was this experience?
He is an outrageously good player, especially in one-on-one situations. It was a really good challenge for me, and I think I handled it pretty well, since he didn’t get past me very often. We played pretty well as a team, especially in the first half. We created a lot of chances and defended well for long stretches of the game against a really good side.
On Thursday, you’ll play in your next friendly against FC Zürich. Considering that you were born in Zürich, how special is the match going to be for you?
FC Zürich are my boyhood club. I started playing there when I was five and remained at the club until I was a teenager. I grew up with the team, so it’s going to be a very special game for me. I’m really looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces again. I don’t know many of the players in the current team, however, since I mostly got to know the club when I played for the youth side.
What do you make of the Zürich side that you’re going to play against?
Zürich are good at playing on the counter and have a lot of quick attackers. They don’t tend to have much possession. Instead, they prefer to play no-nonsense football and get the ball up the pitch quickly. They’re definitely a quality side. We want to play our own game. It goes without saying that we’re tired because of the training camp, but it’s all about giving it our all once again to get a good result.
At this moment, Robert Glatzel and Ludovit Reis come up to Muheim in the dining hall of the SO/Sotogrande. “Miro, we’ve not got a second training session,” says Reis. “And we’ve not got gym work in the evening,” adds Glatzel. “Surely not?” replies Muheim, as he puts his palms together and points towards the sky. It’s an unexpected, but well-deserved break.
To finish things off, let’s look forward to the second half of the season. What are your personal aims and what makes you confident that you’ll achieve your main goal as a team this time round?
My personal goal is to take more responsibility. I want to lead by example with my performances, be an even bigger presence on the pitch and give it my all, even when I’m not playing. It’s important that we all work together as a team. We’ve been playing well so far, but there’s always room for improvement. Over the course of the training camp, we’ve seen that we’re ready to go the extra mile and work towards our goals as a collective. We want to be even more tight-knit as a team.
Responsibility is the key word. You captained the side in the DFB-Pokal game against Bielefeld this season. Looking back, how did you feel in the moment?
It was a huge honour to lead the team onto the pitch as captain. It confirmed the faith I have in myself and gave my confidence a real boost. It also backs up my mindset of leading by example and encouraging the rest of the team to do the same. It was a really impactful moment for me.
Final question: You won’t be involved in the club’s return to Bundesliga 2 action against Schalke, as you’re suspended. How hard is it going to be to watch the game from the sidelines?
I really hate watching games as a spectator. I was also suspended for our final match of last season against Hannover 96, but it wasn’t too bad, since we ended up winning 6-1. However, I missed our game in Osnabrück earlier in the campaign due to injury. Watching on and being powerless on the sidelines was a horrible feeling. I wish things were different this time round, but I’m confident that the boys will be alright without me.