MØLLER DÆHLI: "THESE ARE THE GAMES YOU DREAM OF AS A CHILD"
Friday, 13. September 2019, 16:00 Uhr
Mats Møller Dæhli was a mainstay of the Boys in Brown last season, featuring in every game until early March when he was struck down by a stomach bug in the run-up to – of all games - the home derby against HSV. After the huge disappointment of missing that match, the midfielder can now hardly wait for this season’s repeat fixture. Despite suffering an injury scare on Tuesday, Møller Dæhli isn't packing himself in cotton wool until kick-off – on the contrary.
“For a moment I feared the worst,” said Mats Møller Dæhli after training on Tuesday morning. The Norwegian stayed down after a tussle with Youba Diarra and eventually had to pull out of the session due to a problem with his right ankle. “I’ve never had an ankle injury before, so I didn’t know how to judge the pain," he said. The 24-year-old rushed to the ENDO Rehab Centre, where club doctor Volker Carrero sounded the all-clear, banishing any concerns of him missing his second home derby in a row.
Back in March it was a stomach bug that laid Møller Dæhli low, not a training-ground incident. “I was in bed for three days, I couldn’t do anything,” said the Norwegian, who was left with no choice on the eve of the game but to inform head coach Markus Kauczinski that he wouldn’t be able to play. “Missing the game and having to watch from the stands was a bitter pill to swallow,” he said.
Asked whether he would pack himself in cotton wool until kick-off on Monday evening, the midfielder said: “Absolutely not, I can’t do that, and I won’t. If you’re training cautiously so as not to pick up an injury, you’re not training well. You have to give 100 per cent and go into the challenges accordingly. If you don’t, you’re not properly prepared, no matter what game it is.”
Møller Dæhli, who leads the internal rankings with one goal and five assists so far, is thus training normally in the run-up to the derby. “I’m trying to be as focused as possible in training and give myself the best possible preparation, as I do before every game. I’m also doing the strength training I started a few months ago. I’m not changing my routine at all.”
Commenting on the mood in the camp and the battle for places, the 24-year-old said: “The lads are fired up in every session. Everyone’s fighting for their place. We have a lot of good players and it's the same in my position. You have to give your all every day and that’s how it should be. HSV have made an excellent start and I want to be in the team against them, as we all do. These are the games you dream of as a child.”
The No14 is really looking forward to the match and hopes both sets of fans will contribute to a superb atmosphere with no negative incidents. “It’s an incredibly important game that means so much to the fans,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure we go to the limits of what we’re capable of. We owe it to the fans to give our all. You can’t predict the result. We have to give it all we’ve got and then we’ll see where that gets us.”
Photos: Witters
