“I’ll have successfully overcome another obstacle” | OneFootball

Jonathan Burkardt on his recovery from injury, being Eintracht’s fifth-choice captain, his recipe for success against Bayern Munich and what Albert Riera expects from him.

Jonny, before your injury you were the Bundesliga’s second-highest goalscorer this season with eight strikes. How did you settle so quickly at Eintracht?“Those are good numbers and I do feel I settled in Frankfurt very quickly. It took two or three games for me to fully settle in. The conditions made it easy for me to get into the swing of things and find my place in the group. I was open to everything right from the beginning. In my opinion, there are always several parties involved in doing a good job – the club, the team, the coaching staff and, last but not least, a new arrival like me.”

You suffered your calf injury at the end of November. What did you struggle with most?“We knew after my diagnosis how long I’d be out for – the timescale was clear. The most difficult thing for me was the first part of my recovery, which involved working on my own in the gym a lot. On top of that, we had the dark winter months and we weren’t getting results in either the Bundesliga or the Champions League.”

If you had to find a silver lining from that period, what would it be and why?“In hindsight, I know that I’ll have successfully overcome another obstacle as soon as I return. I’ve had time to develop as an individual. I’ve been able to work a lot on my physical fitness on the one hand, and practise my shooting on the other. Generally speaking, I learn a lot in every period, whether it’s about myself or about the framework at Eintracht Frankfurt.”

How much did it mean to be chosen as fifth-choice captain by your teammates?“It was really nice and made me really happy, because it was a team decision and they decided they wanted me to be one of the captains. I feel it was a positive reflection of how I came across and how I interact with my colleagues.”

What’s behind this distribution of new roles?“In general, not a lot has changed. We used to have the players’ council, now we have six captains. These lads represent the views of the whole squad and have a little more responsibility, including when it comes to communication.”

In your first two games under Albert Riera, it’s not just the performances that have changed compared to previous months, but the basic formation too. Have these first few weeks on the training pitch given you an idea of what the coach expects from a striker?“The coach has very specific ideas, which I see as a very positive thing. He has clear roles and tasks for each position. For a number nine like me, it’s very much about keeping the opposition defence occupied to create space for our central midfielders, before breaking away from my marker at the right moment. That involves making a lot of deep runs to get on the ball or, ideally, get a shot away. My main task, as I see it, is finishing off our attacks.”

You’ve experienced it all against upcoming opponents Bayern Munich, from 6-2, 6-1 and 8-1 defeats to three victories. Apart from the obvious risks, what are the opportunities you need to take to be able to hold your own in Munich?“It may sound strange, but in theory, the recipe for success is pretty simple. Or to put it another way, what it takes to beat Bayern is very clear – be extremely compact defensively and efficient in transition. You don’t get many chances in Munich. You have to take the ones you get. If you don’t, you don’t stand a chance. Generally speaking, everyone needs to have a perfect day and we have to be compact in defence throughout. Otherwise it’s going to be difficult.”

Eintracht have scored 44 league goals this season. You’re currently on 49 Bundesliga goals. Who will hit 50 first?“Good question … (ponders) Being first would be nice, preferably on Saturday!”