'I'm not interested in records'

Patrik Schick has already clocked up 20 goals this season in his second year at Bayer 04 – no other foreign player in Black and Red has scored as many. In an interview with the Werkself Magazine, the striker, who is currently recovering from a calf injury, made it clear that personal statistics are of less interest than two other major targets.

Patrik, your exceptional goal from 45 metres out at the last European Championships for the Czech Republic against Scotland put you in the top three with the FIFA Puskas Award for the top three best goals in 2021. What did you think of that award?

Schick: Of course, I was quite happy about it – with so many spectacular goals all over the world scored around that time. And it was a particular honour for me to finish up in the top three. I'm proud of that. But, to be honest, I have to say: I've almost forgotten about it. I haven't thought about it once since the ceremony was over. Obviously it was a very special goal but, at the end of the day, it counts just the same as any other goal.

Last December you were voted the Bundesliga Player of the Month.

Schick: I was very happy about that above all because I'd just recovered from a torn ankle ligament. I wouldn't have thought that I would score so many goals in that period because normally after time out injured it takes a while to get back to the top of your game. The fact it went so quickly – was all the better for me. The vote is worth more to me than the FIFA award because it wasn’t about one fortunate moment but about constantly good performances over a longer period of time.

You've been hit by injury twice this season and you suffered an injury to your calf in the game against Mainz in the middle of February. Can we assume that you will come back equally strongly as last time?

Schick: Every injury is different. You shouldn't rely on that. But the fact is I have very good conditions to be able to get back on the pitch as quickly as possible. I want to help the team to achieve our ambitious targets. I'll work hard for that.

Are you surprised how good this season has been for you?

Schick: Yes, that's right – I do wonder about it a bit myself. I didn't expect to score my goals so regularly. The bottom line is that I've scored in nearly all the games. A phase like before the Stuttgart match when I went two games without scoring has hardly happened this year. But it does happen that you find it more difficult and scarcely get the chances. It was very good to score in the last minute against Stuttgart otherwise I might have started thinking about it.

Florian Wirtz is very good at picking you out and you two work brilliantly together.

Schick: Absolutely. For a striker like me it's a gift to know that there’s somebody playing behind me who again and again creates goalscoring opportunities through the way he plays and his passes. Over the course of my career I've already played with some very good footballers but Flo is at another level. I've never had such a young teammate with such class before.

Are there reasons for your outstanding run? Have you changed something in the way you play or adapted something?

Schick: Before the season I set out to definitely be more clinical in future. Everything I do on the pitch should lead to the benefit of the team. That includes me trying to play with just one or two touches of the ball and not dribble as often. Of course, there are situations where that makes sense. But fundamentally I try to play my game quicker.

You became a father for the second time in October. What influence does your family have on your performances?

Schick: Those are two different things for me. My family is one thing, football the other. If I'm at home then family comes first and football is far away. And when I’m on the pitch I'm fully focused on my job. For me it's important to completely switch off at home.

For a tall player you have astonishing pace. Your speed has been measured at 34.6 kilometres.

Schick: I don't pay much attention to those stats. But I'm physically in good condition and that's definitely also a result of the very good work of our fitness coaches. In terms of tempo, it obviously always has to do with the style we are playing and which opponent we are facing. In a game like our 4-2 win against Stuttgart, where VfB sat back with ten men in their own half, there wasn't much room for sprints. I prefer to play against the top teams like Bayern or Dortmund because they are also focus on attacking which gives me more space as a striker. But it is a fact that pays in football takes up an ever more important role.

You scored 40% of all the Werkself goals in the first half of the season. The sports journal 'kicker' rated you as world class. Would you agree with that?

Schick: That might be right when I look at the number of goals I've scored. But I don't just reduce my performance to how often I score but I'd also like to show the spectators I’m a good player too. But it is right that my first half of the season was really strong. It's definitely the best I've ever played.

Did you have an idol when you're a teenager?

Schick: I always admired David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Now Robert Lewandowski is the world's best striker for you and you are second highest goalscorer behind him. What makes him special?

Schick: He's just always where he has to be. His wonderful reliability and finishing, his movement in the penalty area, his links with his teammates: For me there's nobody better in the world. It's just incredible how he performs and delivers week after week. Robert just doesn't stop scoring at the moment.

In your 7-1 win against Fürth, when you scored four goals, that also applied to you.

Schick: Yes, sometimes you can hardly explain it yourself. I didn't play particularly well in the first half and I don't think I had a single shot. I sat in the dressing room at half-time and thought about how I could do better in the second half. And suddenly everything went really quickly: bang, bang, bang, bang. In the end I would have liked to have scored a fifth goal but our coach had something against that and he took me off (he laughs).

You could break the record set by Stefan Kießling whose 25 goals in the 2012/13 season set a Bundesliga record for a Leverkusen player. Does that inspire you?

Schick: I don't think about it. I don't want to break any records, it doesn't interest me. I just want to score as many goals as possible. My full concentration is on winning games with my team. But, of course, I've nothing against it if it happens.

How important is it for you to play in the Champions League with Bayer 04 next season?

Schick: That's been our big target since the start of the season. And I think we're on the right track to achieve it. We're in a good position in the race but we haven't achieved anything yet. There are still a number of steps to take.

When you gave away a 2-0 lead against Hoffenheim in the closing stages of a game at the end of the first half of the season, you were very critical with yourselves and demanded a different mentality on the pitch.

Schick: You can see that now. We talked a lot during the winter break and worked hard on making it better. Against Hoffenheim it was the third time following the games in Cologne and Frankfurt where we controlled the match and then gave away a two-goal lead. If that happens once it's okay. But it can't happen often. Now I have a completely different feeling on the pitch in that the team is definitely more mature and has developed for the better. The mind plays a crucial role.

This article is taken from edition 35 Werkself Magazine that appeared in March 2022. HERE are the free online copies of all previous Werkself Magazines.