Before the season Sebastian Prödl said his goal was to earn more playing time than last season, in which injuries cost him a lot of possible action. About half a year later, one could definitely say that he has achieved his goal. The 23-year-old played in all 27 competitive matches for the Green-Whites and did not miss a single second of action during the entire first half of the season. "I could not have played any more," grinned the centre back. That made it all the more important for the Austrian international that he go through the tasks given to him by the club for the winter break. "We were told to free our heads but not to let the body shut entirely down," described Prödl his winter break.
But it's not Prödl's manner to rest anyhow as he will continue to give his all to keep his position in the starting line-up. "I want to be a starter and will not voluntarily give up my position," said Prödl. The biggest change in the past half year has been Prödl's added confidence and poise. "My confidence has developed through the numerous appearances. I have more sureness in many situations, including when passing the ball," said the Austrian, who is happy about his appearances but aggravated about mistakes. "I know that I also made a number of mistakes in the fall which led to goals for the opponents. Maybe I was missing the last bit of concentration," he said self-critically while promising: "I will work on minimising the mistakes."