“I’m incredibly driven” | OneFootball

Farès Chaibi speaks about the current season, the match away to Mainz and a potential trip to the World Cup with Algeria.

Farès, Ramadan ended on Friday with Eid. How tough a period is Ramadan for you as a professional athlete?“I’d already realised that Ramadan was earlier in the year this time around, meaning that the sun set earlier, which meant shorter fasting during the day. That made it a bit nicer than in previous years.”

You came into this season with the intention of always giving it your best to help the team any way you can. How do you think this has gone so far?“Compared with my first two years in Frankfurt, I found it tougher to get playing time, but that’s improved in recent weeks. We’ve still got eight matches ahead of us, and both me and the team will be giving it our all.”

That’s very self-critical of you as the Eintracht player with most goal contributions and the man with the fourth-most assists in the Bundesliga…“That’s just the way I am, I’m just incredibly driven. At the same time, I know the role that stats play in modern football, so I’m obviously aware of the numbers. I see it as confirmation of the fact that hard work pays off and that I can always keep on improving. It gives me extra motivation.”

Albert Riera has done the sums and said that as set pieces make up 30 per cent of play, they will make up 30 per cent of training. What part do you play in this aspect?“It’s no secret that set pieces are becoming increasingly more important in today’s game. Dead balls are an important weapon, never more so than in tight matches. I know that this is one of my strengths and I’m trying to perfect what I do. And I’m delighted that my free-kick at home to Heidenheim played a part in our win.” 

There has been some slight criticism of late of the team not wanting to take risks, not playing the ball deep or putting in the runs up front…“It’s right, these aspects are important and they’ve been lacking. After all, we’ve got enough players who possess these very qualities, who want the ball and who are willing to implement the coach’s tactics. Yes, we could take more risks in certain situations to try to tip the game in our favour. I take some responsibility for that and want to step up more as a creative player.”

Mainz are a team with a similar approach to yours. How do you see the Rhine-Main derby panning out?“I’ve always found Mainz to be a tough nut to crack, and there are bragging rights up for grabs as well. As always, we’ll be looking to impose our game on the opposition. If we can implement our tactics, if everyone does what they’re meant to and has the right mindset, we’ve got every chance of coming away with the three points.”

The next international break is coming up. How much are you thinking about being able to play in your first World Cup this summer?“Front of mind for me are the eight games my club has left this season in the Bundesliga. Everyone knows how important the World Cup is – there’s nothing bigger. You can barely put into words what it would be like to have a season where you make your debut in both the Champions League and maybe even a World Cup. All I’m looking to do at the moment, though, is to play well for Eintracht until the end of the season. That’s what I’m focusing on between now and May.”