Koubek: “You need to perform well in every game”
First Team
14.11.2019, 11:24
Tomáš Koubek has arrived. After a difficult start, Augsburg’s new goalkeeper has made some fantastic saves in recent matches, winning the game for his team against Paderborn with a magnificent penalty save. The Czech talks about settling in to his new environment and the upcoming fixtures.
“It was a really difficult start for me here,” said Koubek. “There was lots to organise, not just for me but for my family as well. And in regards to football, we’ve played against a lot of top sides. On the other hand, I’ve gained lots of experience from playing against such strong teams.”
The atmosphere in Germany
The goalkeeper also talks about the differences between the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, where he played for Stade Rennes up until his summer switch: “I learnt a lot about my personality and mentality in France. So I look back fondly on my time there.” However, one thing he has noticed is how full the stadiums always are in Germany, “The people love football here.” He was particularly happy to see the supporters in such good spirits after their incredible result against Bayern, “Those types of games are really enjoyable. It gives you a lot of confidence.”
After that, came two more difficult encounters against Wolfsburg and Schalke. Koubek believes their home defeat against Schalke was “undeserved”. But what pleased him the most was his penalty save against Paderborn. They wanted to build on their recent good performances away at the newly-promoted side and knew that they needed to score the opening goal. “It was important for me to give the team the chance to do what we planned to do,” said Koubek.
One step at a time
After a number of games against top-half opposition, FCA’s upcoming games in November and December are predominantly against sides lower in the table. However, the 27-year-old believes: “I’ve learnt in my career so far that you need to play as well as you can in every single game, no matter who you’re up against. It’s a mental challenge.” FCA now need to prepare for their next Bundesliga game at home to Hertha. “Some of the boys will be here for the entire 14 days to prepare for the next game, whereas others have important national team games to concentrate on and will come back quite late.” However, Koubek remains confident: “We’re playing really well defensively and have only failed to score against Leverkusen and Wolfsburg. We need to keep this going.”
