Dahmen talks records and European dreams | OneFootball

Finn Dahmen: Augsburg's goalkeeping star on chasing records and European dreams

There appears to be no stopping Finn Dahmen or Augsburg these days, with the young custodian and the Bundesliga side looking unbeatable as they eye a European finish to what has been an exceptional second half of the season for the Bavarians. bundesliga.com caught up with the team's No.1 to talk records, club hopes and Germany ambitions.

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bundesliga.com: Your lengthy spell without shipping a goal (613 minutes) has taken you to 10th place in the all-time Bundesliga rankings for minutes without conceding; how proud are you of your impressive run?

Finn Dahmen: "It's crazy how long it has been now. (I'm) very proud. I think the whole team can be proud. It starts at the front with the strikers, who are currently running like crazy, and then it extends across the entire team. I think we are all in very good spirits right now and are really enjoying defending our goal. A certain mutual understanding has developed and we are convinced now that one goal is enough for victory.”

bundesliga.com: To what extent has extra work on the defensive side of things helped and where does team spirit come into things?

Dahmen: “During the winter break, we sat down together and said that [defensively], we simply have to get better. The defensive processes were clarified again. Of course, then with every game where you concede fewer goals, a bit more self-confidence comes into things. Added to that, many of our players are in very good shape. Of course, at one moment or another there is also a little luck involved. [Based on those things] a run like the one we're on was created.”

Dahmen is currently rubbing shoulders with the likes of Oliver Kahn (l.) and Manuel Neuer. (imago images / ULMER Pressebildagentur)

bundesliga.com: Was there a moment when things clicked into place for you this season?

Dahmen: “For me, that moment was when the coach told me I could go back in goal. That was of course a moment where I was very happy, and one for which I also worked hard towards over a longer period of time. Even in a very difficult phase with my injury, and also afterwards, when I sat on the bench for a few weeks. Then, maybe [I can look back to] our first victory after the break, where we won 2-0 at Union Berlin. With each subsequent success, self-confidence grows and that good feeling on the pitch. We want to hold onto that for as long as possible.”

Dahmen says that former Bundesliga winner Michael Ballack was a role model. (imago)

bundesliga.com: What helped you to come back so strongly after your shoulder injury?

Dahmen: “I believe there were many factors. Of course, there were many people I spoke to and who helped me. These people were my parents, my girlfriend, my family, mental therapist. One then has to accept that although it is currently difficult, it is just a phase and that better times will come again and that it's worth it to simply fight hard and to continue working. I was always confident enough and had the conviction that I would assert myself again and fight my way back into the goal."

bundesliga.com: How does your mental training work?

Dahmen: “I believe it is quite different. Sometimes it just feels good to have a person, who maybe is not from your circle of friends or from the family, to just talk about certain things. That just helps me incredibly."

bundesliga.com: With one more clean sheet in Augsburg's upcoming game against Hoffenheim, you would jump to fifth place in that aforementioned Bundesliga all-time goalkeeping minutes without conceding list. How are you feeling about that?

Dahmen: “It is something that makes me proud, but right now I'm trying to ignore it a little bit before the next game. If we were to win 2-1 or 3-2, then I would be super happy. It's always primarily about the team's success. If we should win 1-0, then I'd naturally be even happier.”

bundesliga.com: Ahead of you in that list, there are names like Manuel Neuer, Oliver Kahn and Timo Hildebrand. What does it mean to you to be named alongside such goalkeeping royalty?

Dahmen: “Of course it's a nice thing. Currently, many friends also often send [the ranking] to me. Nevertheless, I think it doesn't help if I somehow put myself under pressure here and say, 'I want to climb further or higher in this ranking.' I am very proud of these few goals conceded, but it doesn't help to dwell on it. It is more about continuing to work and then hoping that we will continue to be as successful.”

bundesliga.com: Who are your goalkeeping role models?

Dahmen: “It was Kahn a long time ago, I must say. He definitely influenced me at some point at the beginning, that I even started going into goal or wanted to go into goal. The last few years it was Neuer and Marc-André ter Stegen, who I simply found super good and cool and from who I could pick up a lot.”

bundesliga.com: What did you learn from Neuer and ter Stegen?

Dahmen: "A lot. I believe both have shaped the game in their position in recent years. They have a different goalkeeping style: they are very good in terms of playing football, on the line and in one-v-ones. I think I could list almost every goalkeeping discipline there. Both are simply world-class.”

bundesliga.com: Do you have any other non-goalkeeping role models in German football?

Dahmen: “In the past I was also a big Michael Ballack fan. At my first club, I always wanted to have the number 13 because he wore it. He had a good shot and he used to play a similar position to mine before. I also played in midfield. I just found him to be cool. But then I moved into goal relatively early, when I was around nine years old. And then it was the goalkeepers that interested me the most.”

bundesliga.com: Augsburg are currently in second place in the Bundesliga table in terms of the second half of the season. What has changed in the team compared to the first half of the season?

Dahmen: "We have achieved huge consistency. The processes in the team were reinforced. We are much, much better at the back, so we let a lot less happen defensively. It's also that we have close games that we tend not to lose and, on occasion, have also turned to our favour. This is extremely important, because it is almost always the case in the Bundesliga that every game is on a knife edge and if one then has the feeling that you can strike it lucky, that earns you a lot of points.”

bundesliga.com: Right now, the path to Europe seems possible for Augsburg. To what extent is this dream also alive in the team?

Dahmen: “One can always dream, but I think we have really benefited a lot in the last games to focus from game to game. When things are going so well, it's generally advisable not to make any major changes. Therefore, I think it is not worth speculating on the table now and trying to decipher the last eight matchdays. If it should eventually come to that point and we are two, three matchdays away from the end, then you can take a look at the table and see if it is still possible. We can also set new goals for ourselves then.”

bundesliga.com: You won the European Championships with Germany U21s in 2021. Do you dream a place in the senior side?

Dahmen: “Yes, I believe it is naturally a dream for everyone who becomes a professional football player. I will give everything for that to happen."

bundesliga.com: There is currently a lot of chat about who will be the next Manuel Neuer and who will shape the next era. What are your thoughts on this?

"I believe that Germany doesn't need to worry. I believe there are many talented goalkeepers. In the Bundesliga alone, there are many good ones, who, I believe, you could put in goal at any time without hesitation. Yes, many starting goalkeepers in the Bundesliga are getting a little older, so there might possibly be a time there someday when many, many young players are trusted. In conclusion, I don't think we need to worry about it.”

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