The former youth keeper Sebastian Mielitz has gone from a calm and quiet glovesman to a fan favourite as top reserve over the years behind number one Tim Wiese. But he's someone that not many...
The former youth keeper Sebastian Mielitz has gone from a calm and quiet glovesman to a fan favourite as top reserve over the years behind number one Tim Wiese. But he's someone that not many...
The former youth keeper Sebastian Mielitz has gone from a calm and quiet glovesman to a fan favourite as top reserve over the years behind number one Tim Wiese. But he's someone that not many know much about. WERDER.DE met this week with the 22-year-old to talk his path to the number one keeper.
"Miele", you can't really describe yourself as a second goalkeeper, you regularly play with Werder. Your second season as top backup has just begun and you have already played 10 Bundesliga matches, twice in the Champions League and one game in the Europa League.
Sebastian Mielitz: "That's how it is. When you have bad luck, you don't play a match for a year because Tim remains fit and does not get suspended. (Laughs) But you can see that Tim likes to share and I have to say that I would like to always play and win."
With all the experience that you have already collected, can you give the young keepers in the Werder boarding school some tips for life?
Sebastian Mielitz: "You always have to work on yourself to stay at the top. You can never really relax, never really think things are certain. If you think you have time then you just have to do a little bit more. Everyone must find the right attitude for themselves."
That is a tip for a young keeper. Did you get some tips from some idols?
Sebastian Mielitz: "No, I always looked through goalkeeping books. I really only took with me that you always have to do more than the others. And that's how it was. I could hardly count the hours that my papa threw the balls at me in Neulöwenberg."
Do you see a path of making it to the number one?
Sebastian Mielitz: "If Tim misses some time or slows a bit, whenever that happens then I want to jump in as a stronger keeper. That's the same in any career. In football it's a little bit more extreme. The congeniality is that you limit this competitiveness to the sports side of things. I cannot be different than myself off the pitch. The competition takes place only on the pitch."
Goalkeeper trainer Michael "Tiger" Kraft is currently the first contact person sports wise for Sebastian Mielitz. How do you see the current state of things? Is Tim Wiese still clearly ahead of you?
Sebastian Mielitz: "It's clear that Tim is a German international keeper and with it at a higher level. I respect that. But I am trying to do my thing in every training. Nobody can say that I am not challenging Tim at a high level."
Another possibility would be to leave the city and become the number one somewhere else.
Sebastian Mielitz: "I cannot really imagine that. I am going about this in that I offer myself as long as it takes until I get there. My biggest goal is to be number one with Werder.
What do you think about being sent out on loan? Having this patience behind Tim Wiese is not always easy.
Sebastian Mielitz: "A loan is not for me. That is not a good solution for a player. I would never feel like I belong. There are seldom examples where it has worked out."
