Grillitsch in conversation

“Has of course also left his mark on us”

Florian Grillitsch (left) has recently experienced intense weeks and months.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/APA/EVA MANHART)

Florian Grillitsch is ready to set his sights on new goals with Hoffenheim and the ÖFB team. In an interview with "Sportkrone.at", the midfielder spoke about the turbulent summer in Hoffenheim, neo-teammate Alexander Prass and the European Championship. 

"Kronesport": Hoffenheim got their first win on the first matchday. What goals have you set yourselves for the coming season?
Florian Grillitsch: We didn't set ourselves a goal in terms of the table, but above all wanted to work well in preparation for the new season and focus on ourselves despite the unrest at the club. We've now started with a win in both the DFB Cup and the Bundesliga, which is absolutely fantastic. But the triple burden this season will definitely be challenging. However, we've now added a few new players who will certainly integrate quickly, so it will definitely be a successful season for us in the end.

There have recently been tensions between the fans and the club. The manager was let go. What is the situation like for you as a player?
The fact that the sporting director and managing director Alexander Rosen were released during the summer break and that the squad wasn't fully finalized for a long time naturally didn't go completely unnoticed by us as a team. That has left its mark. However, we had to and must accept the situation as it is. As a team, we have no influence on it anyway. But of course, the past few weeks haven't really been ideal for us, because things were at a standstill for a long time and nothing really progressed. But now we have to look ahead and try to be as successful as possible.

Alexander Prass, an ÖFB colleague, has joined the team. Did you talk to him about the club beforehand and how much can he help the club with his quality?
Of course I'm very happy that 'Prassi' is with us now. He has great qualities and definitely deserves to take the next step in his career with us. He has already hinted at his abilities with us, but the expectations of him shouldn't be too high, as he comes from the Austrian Bundesliga and still needs a little time to adapt. But so far Alex is doing really, really well. Above all, I hope he stays injury-free, because then he'll certainly play a lot of good games for us in the future and we'll all be successful together."

What do you like to do to balance out your professional sport?
I'm married and have two children who I really enjoy spending time with. My family is very important to me, they are the best place for me to switch off.

There was a lot of light at the European Championships and then the bitter end against Turkey. What is your personal conclusion?
We showed at the European Championships that Austria can not only ski, but also play good soccer (laughs). But of course the manner of our elimination at the end was extremely bitter. We had to say goodbye in the knockout phase due to two set pieces. In my opinion, it was far too early, we had set our sights much higher - especially after seeing what is possible against big opponents in the group stage. That's why it took us a long time to accept this elimination. But now we can look ahead again. There's a new season coming up and new international matches, so we want to attack again.