“Nothing else counts” | OneFootball

Timothy Chandler looks ahead to the meeting with Heidenheim and the rest of the season.

Timmy, you picked up a muscular injury in the friendly against Steinbach Haiger a few weeks ago. How are you doing? “I’m doing very well, I’m fully fit again and back in team training. Everything’s gone smoothly.”

We’ve reached crunch time in the season. There are six Bundesliga matchdays left – including key clashes against Leipzig, Mainz and Freiburg, who are all in the hunt for European places. How do you view the remaining fixtures? “Indeed, it is crunch time. We’ve got some tough matches coming up. We need to mobilise all our strength for the coming weeks, go ahead and show our quality on the pitch. If we succeed in that, we can achieve great things this season.”

So you’re only looking at yourselves? “Exactly, that’s the most important thing. It’s just about what we do on the pitch. If we pick up points, then we don’t even need to look at what our rivals are doing. That’s the easiest way to achieve our objectives.”

What gives you an advantage for the run-in? “Our unity! We’ve bonded as a team over the course of the season – you can see that, you can feel that. That’s crucial.”

Next up is the home match against 1. FC Heidenheim. It’s third against 16th, but how hard, and possibly dangerous, will the game be? “It seems that anything is possible in the Bundesliga this season. There are surprises everywhere. We know Heidenheim are going to put everything into it on Sunday. But clearly, we’re playing at home with a great atmosphere and want the three points. Nothing else counts.”

You’ve made 197 competitive appearances for the Eagles to date. You’re approaching a milestone. When will number 200 come? “We’ll see about that. If I stay fit, I know I’ll get minutes. When I eventually hit 200, then more beautiful moments with and for Eintracht Frankfurt will follow. That’s hugely important to me.”

What does the short-term future hold for Timothy Chandler? “We’re in talks. We’ll keep it a surprise.”