Schick: "We're up there with Bayern" | OneFootball

Bayer Leverkusen's Patrik Schick on battling Bayern Munich, form, fitness and more

Back to his very best with 21 competitive goals already this season, Patrik Schick is leading the charge for Bayer Leverkusen as they look to retain their Bundesliga title in a rivalry with Bayern Munich that will now spill over into the UEFA Champions League.

Amid the club's bid for domestic and European glory, which also includes a last-four spot in their defence of the DFB Cup, Schick sat down with bundesliga.com to reflect on the quite remarkable ups and downs of his Bundesliga career to date...

bundesliga.com: Four-and-a-half years ago, we spoke about your goals shortly after your arrival - how has that developed?

Patrik Schick: “I looked younger, but I think I was right. I scored a lot of goals for Leverkusen, and we won the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup and the Supercup, and we are in the Champions League.”

bundesliga.com: Did you exceed your own expectations?

Schick: “If I’m really honest, I didn’t expect these four and a half years in Leverkusen to be quite so successful.”

Schick (l.) is back fit and firing like never before at Leverkusen this season. (Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Bundesliga)

bundesliga.com: What is the key to success for you?

Schick: “First of all, I would say the discipline and the right people around you. It’s a collective sport with the coaches and staff and players. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to help the team. You have to fight for your dreams, and you have to have the right people around you.”

bundesliga.com: Are you happy with 15 goals in 20 Bundesliga games?

Schick: “It’s a nice number, for sure, but we know how the start of the season was. For me, it was not that good, but I didn’t give up. I still wanted to be ready when my chance came, and we don’t know what might have happened if I played regularly from the start of the season. You have to be ready because if you are not, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here and talking about it.”

bundesliga.com: Are you currently in the form of your life?

Schick: “I have to say I am feeling very good and very healthy. I don’t have any muscular problems or any other problems that can limit you, so I am feeling very fit. That has definitely helped me on the pitch.”

bundesliga.com: Did you change anything about your training or your attitude after your injury?

Schick: “No. Obviously the injury was not easy and the whole time was not easy. It was a difficult time in my career, and I would say one of the toughest times. But since I came back after the injury, I wouldn’t say that I have changed anything dramatically. I maybe spend more time doing preventative work, but I wouldn’t say that I’ve changed my approach. I always tried to give my best and I am still doing that.”

bundesliga.com: How tiring is this part of the season for you?

Schick: “At the moment, we are lucky that we already qualified for the next round of the Champions League, so we didn’t have such a busy schedule compared to some other teams. But, in general, it’s obviously very tough when you play every three or four days for many months. It’s not easy.”

bundesliga.com: Is the less busy fixture list an advantage over Bayern Munich?

Schick: “I don’t know if it’s really an advantage. It’s Bayern, so it’s going to be tough either way. The games against them are always really intense and difficult. There’s not much difference in this competition because Bayern Munich is the same as Real Madrid or Atlético or these kinds of teams, so we are again going to face these world-class teams.”

bundesliga.com: Are you now on the same level with Bayern?

Schick: “I would say we are up there with them, because you can see that we can compete with them, but they have done it for many years, and we have only been at this level for maybe two years. At the moment, we are able to compete with these clubs, but it’s normal for them to compete every year on this level.”

bundesliga.com: Do you understand why the battle between Leverkusen and Bayern is so big in Germany?

Schick: “It’s definitely huge because Bayern have dominated for more than 10 years. It’s a huge change that Leverkusen won the Bundesliga last year, but it made the league more attractive and dramatic. I'm really happy that I was able to be part of that.”

bundesliga.com: Will the Champions League match-up have an impact on the Bundesliga title race with Bayern?

Schick: “It’s hard to say. In the Champions League we have two games, but I can’t really say what the tactics will be or how Bayern are going to play. I think it’s different because you just have these two games, while the Bundesliga is a long run. Normally the game against Bayern doesn’t decide the title because this is decided by all the other games. It’s different in the Champions League.”

bundesliga.com: Has the title race already been won?

Schick: “It’s not over and you never know what can happen in football. Even though it’s eight points difference between us, we still want to put pressure on them. To be honest, it’s going to be hard, but we are ready for all scenarios.”

bundesliga.com: Can you talk us through the moment in the game against Bayern where Florian Wirtz managed to keep hold of the ball against several Bayern players?

Schick: “I would say it’s mostly about technique. He could control the ball between three players and this is his talent. It’s not just against Bayern because he can mostly get himself out of these situations. For me, it wasn’t something surprising because I see it in training and in games. It wasn’t the first time, and I have seen it many times before. It might be better to ask him how he does it, but it’s so many things coming together – you have to control the ball, you have to see the players around you, and these things are all happening so quickly. He is a very special player so he can do that, and not many players can do it like him.”

bundesliga.com: What would you say to your younger self today?

Schick: “It was my dream to play football at the highest possible level. To be at this level and to play football in front of thousands of people in the best stadiums in the world was something I was always aiming for. The competition in the world of football is so big and you have so many players. The chances that it is going to be you are not that high. I was aiming for it, but I was never sure that I could fulfil these wishes, so I am very grateful that I could do it.”

bundesliga.com: What were the decisive factors in your success?

Schick: “Discipline is the most important thing and to always have a goal and just go for it. Even though I maybe didn’t want to train when I was younger and I was maybe lazy and preferred to do something else, I always knew in my head that I still had to do it because otherwise I would miss some things that would catch me out later. I would say the discipline and hard work that you put in are the most important things.”

bundesliga.com: What was your best moment in football so far?

Schick: “Winning the Bundesliga was a great achievement in my career, as well as winning the [DFB] Cup final. The Euros in 2021 were also a great moment for me personally in my career which I am proud of. I was top scorer alongside Cristiano [Ronaldo], so that’s something which is a nice memory, as well as getting Goal of the Tournament.”

bundesliga.com: When were you particularly proud of your team?

Schick: “What we did last season was unbelievable - to win the Bundesliga without a losing a game. In the end, we just lost a game in the Europa League final. I have to say, I was proud of my team at the end of each and every game because we were there, and we performed in every game, and we didn’t lose. To do this 50 times deserves respect and we also scored some really late goals, which was mentally really tough. I would say the team deserved respect after each game last season.”

bundesliga.com: When did you last get goosebumps in the stadium?

Schick: “I would say the cup game against Cologne two weeks ago. This was a really crazy game, and this gave me goosebumps with the late equaliser. That was great.”

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