“There’s always room for improvement” | OneFootball

Aurèle Amenda on his development in Frankfurt, fulfilling his potential, receiving advice from Timmy Chandler and the upcoming World Cup.

Aurèle, you’ve played the full 90 minutes in 12 of the last 13 games. Are we currently seeing the best of Aurèle Amenda?“You could perhaps put it that way, but on the other hand there’s always room for improvement. I’ve been in good form lately and I’m really enjoying playing for Frankfurt with my team-mates. As I said, it’s always possible to eke out a few more percentage points, which is what I’m working on at the moment.”

Which of those games do you look back on particularly fondly?“Definitely one of the home games. I’d say Freiburg or Mönchengladbach – we kept a clean sheet in both matches.”

As well as playing in central defence, you’ve also operated at full-back in a back four lately – despite standing at 1.94 metres. Playing in an unfamiliar position doesn’t seem to be a problem for you…“It’s not really a problem. Depending on what system we’ve been playing, I’ve had to change positions before now. We’ve been operating as a back three with the ball and a back four without it.”  

Every defender has a specific role when it comes to building play, but do you have a lot more attacking duties as a full-back?“There are obviously differences between the positions, but that applies in particular when we don’t have the ball. By closing down and pressing the opposition, I clock up more sprints and more kilometres. It’s even more intense.”

How has your game developed, and what advice has Albert Riera given you?“I’ve always been decent on the ball, but I now have even more confidence and am happy to push forward more often and even play the odd risky pass. That’s what the coach has told us to do. Football’s a game and mistakes are part of the process, but what matters is how you react to them. Defensively, I feel more aggressive and stronger. With more time on the pitch, I’m gaining confidence in my own game. No matter who we’re playing against, I have more belief in myself.”

Which team-mates have you learned a lot from? What have they been telling you?“Timmy Chandler has been a big source of advice. He’s generally very important in the dressing room. He talks to me a lot and gives me important tips, particularly when it comes to my position. I also chat a lot with Robin [Koch], Arthur [Theate] and Rasmus [Kristensen] and always try to take something away from those conversations. Players like Rasmus are important because of their mentality alone. He is also a quality player.” 

Where do you want to – or need to – improve?“I need to score a goal! With my physicality and presence, I’d like to be more of a goal threat.” 

How do you see the last four games in the league?“It’s about getting as many points as we can. We could have got more, but [those games] are in the past now. We still have four games left – four finals – and we need to get maximum points. Every game is very important. The players are highly motivated and we want to win every game.” 

At the end of the season, you also have the World Cup to look forward to in Canada, Mexico and the USA. How much are you looking forward to that?“I’m extremely excited, but I can’t really take it in just yet. The World Cup still feels a long way off and my sole focus is on Eintracht Frankfurt. It’ll only fully hit me during the tournament, or maybe even afterwards. Obviously, though, playing at a World Cup is an objective and an absolute dream – for every footballer.”