Bischof: "I've become more mature" | OneFootball

Tom Bischof has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign. After what was a difficult last season for him personally, the 19-year-old has been getting regular game time this term and has impressed in the Bundesliga and the Europa League. In a SPIELFELD interview, the Germany junior international spoke about the last one and a half years, the lessons he has learned from it, his increasing responsibility in the team and the excitement of European nights.

Tom, you have recently been a regular in TSG's starting line-up but – surprisingly for some – in a slightly different position. You're now a little more withdrawn and playing in defensive midfield. Have you already gotten used to the new role?

"We decided together that it is the best position for me at the moment. I have a lot of touches of the ball, have the game in front of me and am constantly involved. That's precisely what I enjoy."

Have you had to adapt your playing style to the new position?

"Rest defence (a term which describes the part of a possession phase where some players can't contribute to the attack anymore) is now of course a much bigger topic. When I played more offensively, there was always someone behind me. Now I pay even more attention to whether we have enough players behind the ball and whether the opposition players are covered. And of course, I've also worked on my tackling toughness and aggression. I've had to work on that a bit more, but it's going quite well so far."

After the game in Midtjylland, the general feeling was that you had arrived in professional football. Has it not always been an easy journey over the last few months?

"Until I turned professional, everything in my career was actually always progressing uphill. I had no injuries, always played in higher age groups and was allowed to train with a Bundesliga team at the age of 16. I found my feet well at the beginning, but then over the past two years we've had phases as a team where things haven't gone well and I've been used less. That hasn't always been easy."

How have you dealt with that?

"I struggled with that. I'm still young but I'm also very ambitious – I therefore don't see myself as a classic substitute. I still need more time to find my feet, to have my moments and to show: I can help the team. But I unfortunately did not always get playing time and then did not always take my chances either – so I definitely have to be very self-critical in retrospect."

You were even a first-team regular for a while after the 2023 winter preparations, but then you got less playing time...

"The preparations went very well back then and I was very happy to be able to play from the start for the first time away to Union Berlin in the opening game. But we then unfortunately did not win as a team for a long time in that phase, plus there was a change of coach. It wasn't easy for me, but I understood that the experienced players would then be used. I'm still young and can still learn a lot. When I came on, I wasn't able to make the impact I had hoped for, I have to be honest. I also had open and honest conversations with the coaching team, which helped me. The most important thing was that we didn't get relegated as a club and now I know what I need to do better."

Things went better for the club last season, but you only played around 170 minutes for the first team and instead played more often for the U23s in the Regionalliga. What did you take away from that time?

"I now see it completely differently, but in the first two to three weeks I wasn't really enthusiastic about playing for the U23s. However, I quickly noticed that I was getting a lot out of it. I could get game time and prove myself. I was of course also sad because I would've liked to be with the first team, but I stuck at it, gave everything and it paid off."

Would you say in retrospect that it was important to gain this experience?

"Definitely. When it came to midweek games, I even started later on to actively ask if I could play for the U23s. I always want to play and prove myself. In hindsight, I believe that my attitude was well received too. As a result, I turned my initial anger and disappointment into performance. That was very important in order to take positives away from it."

Did this phase also help you grow as a person?

"I think that despite being only 19, I'm generally a mature and self-confident player and person. But of course, my demeanour was different in my first two years as a professional player than it was as a youth player. It's quite normal that you also appear different in a different role. I'm more self-confident now and I would say that I've grown up. I now go out onto the pitch and say to myself: 'I can do this, I'm good enough.' My creativity can help the team."

Have you changed anything in your everyday life to that end?

"I've become even more of a professional. I was already in a good position before, but now I pay even more attention to things off the pitch. For example, I've been working with a mental coach for the past nine months. It's going very well and helps me in my everyday life. I'm also investing even more in regeneration."

What's the mental training like?

"It varies. We meet approximately once a fortnight and speak first about what's on my mind at that moment. We then discuss what could help me to get into the next game better. Together, we look at which fixed rituals are good for me in order to get into my rhythm before kick-off."

Can you give examples?

"There are different things. It can be the same music on the bus journey or a motivational saying shortly before kick-off. But what has been working really well this season is writing the No. 7 on the inside of my hand. I associate that number with creativity and that's what defines me as a player. If I make a mistake, I know that the number is with me and will help me in the next situation."

You've been wearing the No. 7 shirt since this season. What did it mean to you to get that number and do you feel a greater responsibility as a result?

"I believe that every player's shirt number is important to them. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. (laughs) I was really pleased that I was given the No. 7. I don't feel any pressure because of it, but of course I want to show that it wasn't a mistake and that I should be on the pitch. And not because of the number, but because of my performances on the pitch."

What significance does the No. 7 have for you?

"I was actually always a fan of the No. 10, which I wore in my youth. It was also more suited to my position at the time and I'm also a fan of Lionel Messi and not Cristiano Ronaldo. But in the summer I had a conversation with the sporting management and they told me that the No. 7 would be free next season and that it would suit me well. My family also confirmed this to me and I'm very happy about it."

You have often emphasised that you have a very close relationship with your family. Your parents are also at the stadium for almost every game. You no longer live at home, has that changed your relationship?

"We speak on the phone every day and my mum always comes to my flat at the end of the week to help me with the housework. Without her, things wouldn't run so smoothly. (laughs) We have a very close relationship. She often cooks for me and I can enjoy her delicious food. She also makes sure that I don't just order food, but that I eat healthily. I am extremely grateful to my parents. Spending time together helps me and allows me to switch off better. My parents are extremely important to me."

Do they also give you feedback after the games?

"My mum is banned on matchday itself. (laughs) We're very similar and things can get a bit heated after the game, so we'd rather talk about it the day after. It works better with my dad. My mum also knows that I don't mean any offence, but we're just too similar in that regard. It doesn't go so well after defeats in particular." (laughs)

During the time when you played less, other young players such as Umut Tohumcu and Tim Drexler played themselves into the spotlight. Did you sometimes have thoughts like ‘That should be me on the pitch’?

"I was incredibly happy for both boys. Tim made the most of his chance and Umut was our best player at times. It's fitting for TSG that so many young talents get their chance. Even though it was a difficult time for me because I wasn't able to play so much myself, I wanted all the other players to have every success. I knew that it was up to me and that it wasn't an 'either or' situation. I've been friends with both of them for years, there's no jealousy."

You've been playing with both of them since your youth; you've known each other for many years. Do you ever talk about how crazy it is that you're now in the first team together?

"Before the match at Union Berlin several weeks ago, I spoke to Tim about it because it was the first time we'd been in the starting line-up together. And then a few days later I partnered Umut in defensive midfield in Midtjylland. That was crazy. We also talked about it briefly: We're on the pitch together and the club even trusts us in European competition. We've dreamed of this together for years and now it's become a reality. We get on incredibly well, which makes everything even better."

You started training with the first team shortly after your 16th birthday and made your debut in the Bundesliga at 16. Did the early focus perhaps put you under strain?

"I didn't feel any pressure. It's actually my style not to worry so much, but rather to go out on the pitch and play. It went perfectly back then. I was able to train with the first team at a young age, get used to the extremely high level and continue playing for the U19s. It was also important to see how a professional dressing room works in order to integrate myself there. It's completely different in junior football. The sessions also helped me to progress with the U19s and later with the U23s. Although it's only been three years, it feels like it's been 10 years because I've gotten so used to it. I have the team to thank for my development and I want to pay that back."

Although last season did not go as you had hoped for from a personal point of view, it ended on a positive note. Thanks to the 4-2 win against FC Bayern Munich, you qualified for the UEFA Europa League. You came on as a substitute and played a decisive role in the last two goals by winning the ball back twice. Was that a turning point for you?

"That was an amazing feeling. The coach called me a few days after the game and told me: 'That's the Tom I want to see. You were there on the pitch and showed what you're made of.' Something like that gives you an extra push, which helped me enormously in pre-season. That's when I knew: It can continue like this."