Schmidt not thinking about outright safety | OneFootball

Frank Schmidt on Heidenheim's roller-coaster season, the battle for Bundesliga survival and more

With a five-point deficit on outright safety and only two games to go, Heidenheim head coach Frank Schmidt has told bundesliga.com that the relegation play-off is his team's most realistic path to securing a third successive season of Bundesliga football.

WANT MORE NEWS LIKE THIS? FIND MORE ARTICLES ON THE OFFICIAL BUNDESLIGA APP.

>>> Check out the Matchday 33 permutations!

bundesliga.com: You are away at Union Berlin on the penultimate weekend and the last game is at home to Werder Bremen – what do you make of the remaining fixtures and what do you expect?

Frank Schmidt: "We know what situation we are in, and we know that we still need points. The first chance is against Union Berlin, and we know we have the opportunity to put ourselves in the relegation play-off spot. We want to approach both games trying to win them, but so do the opposition. We can discuss and philosophise a lot ahead of the games, but we ultimately need to put in the best performance as a team on the pitch in order to take home the points. We have had a clearly defined goal for weeks and months to get into that play-off and then win the extra two games to be able to celebrate another season in the Bundesliga."

Heidenheim's Kevin Müller was treated on the pitch for over 10 minutes before being stretchered off on Matchday 32. (IMAGO/Pressefoto Rudel/Herbert Rudel)

bundesliga.com: So you don’t think that you can catch Hoffenheim or St. Pauli?

Schmidt: "No, it doesn’t make sense to think about that. We have to accept the points we have and the situation we are in. We are always optimistic, but you also have to be realistic. For weeks we have said that it is a three-way battle at the bottom and it’s about winning this battle against Bochum and Kiel in order to get the play-off spot. Especially after our draw at home to Bochum, it would be unrealistic to talk about other aims."

bundesliga.com: Can you describe the emotions of finding yourself in a relegation battle?

Schmidt: "Tension and a little bit of impatience as well because everyone wants to know what will happen at the end of the season. There are now just a few days left until the end of the season and then we will find out the result. The mix of tension and impatience is always there. On the other hand, something which I told the team at the start of training this week was that this situation is also why you play football. The stadiums are full and there is a lot of emotion. Of course, it is nice and easy to be near the top or comfortably mid table, but taking on these situations is part of life and football."

"Forever our coach": Schmidt has overseen over 700 matches since taking charge of Heidenheim in September 2007. (IMAGO/Eibner Pressefoto/Oliver Schmidt/IMAGO/Eibner)

bundesliga.com: In your opinion, what are the arguments for Heidenheim staying in the top division?

Schmidt: "It’s not necessarily about truths, but about staying calm and keep on top of emotions for the last two games. You definitely cannot play without emotion, but you also need to keep a cool head. It’s about playing resolute football and keeping hold of the slight points advantage we currently have. We back ourselves to pick up the points needed in the last two games, and we have the quality to do that. Ultimately, I believe in my team achieving our aim and finishing on a high after all the experiences and obstacles we have gone through this season."

bundesliga.com: What is different this season compared to last season?

Schmidt: "There is not enough time to talk about everything and I have already addressed it and repeated it in the past. The first year in the Bundesliga is special. There was a lot of euphoria, and we qualified for the [UEFA] Conference League. We then played Conference League and were top of the table after two games. However, the whole season has still only been about staying up and battling near the bottom. After the three wins shortly before the winter break last year, we had more or less already secured our Bundesliga status. This year, it was clear to us that it would a battle until the bitter end and that it would only be three or four teams battling it out. We underwent big changes in the second year and there are a lot of differences in comparison to the previous year. We knew that it would probably go down to the final game and now here we are."

>>> Who needs what in the relegation battle?

bundesliga.com: There are experts that believe Heidenheim are suffering in the Bundesliga because of the extra workload of the Conference League. What do you make of that?

Schmidt: "This is completely normal for teams that have previously been used to playing one or two midweek games a season and now suddenly have three midweek games in both November and December. It’s natural in these circumstances that our qualities might not be enough for the Bundesliga. But that was not what it was about because apart from a few small exceptions, the team always tried to get everything from every game. Sometimes it is not enough, and you have to accept that the opposition is better. There is enormous quality in the Bundesliga, and we lost a few of our key performers after the first year, so we knew it would be a difficult season. We knew that it would not be made any easier with the Conference League, but we never complained, and we accepted it. I think there are worse situations to be in as Heidenheim than to have two final games in the Bundesliga and still have our fate in our own hands."

bundesliga.com: Does the number of games because of the Conference League also cause a little complacency in the players because they know they will be playing games?

Schmidt: "If you did a survey of the players, I’m sure you would get a lot of different answers. It was clear that we could not always play with the same team and that we would have to approach the two competitions differently. In 70 to 80 percent of cases, we had to make changes, but we had no alternative. I made a plan at the start of the season, and we implemented this. It was frustrating that we did not win the final game of the group stage at home against St. Gallen, and it was frustrating that after the 2-1 win in Copenhagen in the play offs, we were not able to progress to the next round here at home. However, the fact is that when the midweek games fell away at the start of March, and we had the chance to train intensively with the team, we were a completely different side. As is so often the case in life, there are always two sides of the coin, and we are still able to achieve our main aim of staying in the Bundesliga. It was an amazing journey that we went on with Heidenheim with the 10 games from the qualification through to the group stages and then the play offs, but the focus was always on the Bundesliga. We have to achieve our aim, and we have the opportunity to do so. If we are successful in staying up and playing a third year in the Bundesliga, then the whole club would have achieved something incredible."

bundesliga.com: Kiel lost at home to St. Pauli on Matchday 29, but then they came up trumps with two wins and a draw. They have moved to within one point of you - what does that do to you?

Schmidt: "Not much because we also drew in Leipzig, and we won in Stuttgart and Wolfsburg in the past few weeks. We know from our own experience what it is like in the first season in the Bundesliga and we know that Kiel will still be euphoric and also have quality. They will have a togetherness because setbacks are expected, but that is completely normal to me."

bundesliga.com: How is your goalkeeper Kevin Müller doing after his concussion - is he allowed to be between the sticks for Union Berlin or does he have to take a break to be safe and therefore miss a game?

Schmidt: "I don’t know the details of the protocol, but he is not necessarily ruled out for Berlin because it’s about the specific number of days since the injury and it might have been long enough. However, the chances that he will play are relatively low because it was a bad concussion, and we have a duty of care, even if everything is on the line. Health is the most important thing, and he is doing much better. I visited him in hospital but now he is back home, and the two or three days of rest certainly did some good. The player from Bochum is also doing better, which is good news. The fan reaction was also special because despite the sporting situation, they were singing the name of Kevin Müller. This shows that football has enormous potential to bring people together."

bundesliga.com: What would it do to the team if Müller was actually missing in Berlin?

Schmidt: "A goalkeeper is always special position in comparison to outfield players. We have always had to deal with injuries to key players, but it is normal to have to replace them. Of course, this means that another goalkeeper will have to play, and we have four in our squad. They always give everything to be able to play if the opportunity arises and it is no secret that Frank Feller is always ready to play if Kevin Müller is out, and he already has done so in the Conference League."

bundesliga.com: Complete the following sentence: "If I could make one wish for the final Bundesliga games, it would be…"

Schmidt: "to stay in the Bundesliga."

bundesliga.com: Complete the following sentence: "If we stay up, then…"

Schmidt: "there is going to be a big party."

bundesliga.com: What might the party look like?

Schmidt: "It is not planned yet and you cannot plan something like this. It would be wrong to start thinking about that now. I have been able to spontaneously celebrate so many successes with the team, the club, and the fans. The best and longest parties are often the ones that are not planned."

bundesliga.com: On the day of the home game against Werder Bremen on Matchday 4 of the 2023/24 season, you had been head coach in your hometown of Heidenheim for exactly 16 years. On that day, you broke the all-time record in German professional football by replacing Volker Finke as the longest-serving coach at a club - what does that mean to you?

Schmidt: "It does not mean anything, it’s only a number like a birthday. I do my job, and I enjoy doing it every day, but that has got nothing to do with it being the longest position. I can’t change it, but the one thing to point out is that a lot of people have helped me and accompanied me on this long journey. It’s not about the 16 years, but about the fact that we have done it together and that we have achieved so much. Holger Sanwald already started in the Landesliga and I joined in the Verbandsliga. As an example, the team manager Alex Raaf also joined with me in 2003. It means more to me that the people who are with me now have accompanied me the whole way."

bundesliga.com: Is this the recipe for success for Heidenheim?

Schmidt: "It is certainly a part of it in terms of the togetherness and the familiarity. It is also about the willingness and the desire to always improve. Ultimately, it’s about the players and the framework that the club provides. If you want to understand Heidenheim, you have to know that it is not just about one person, whether it’s the coach Frank Schmidt or anybody else, but it’s about the whole. This starts with the kiosk employees and the cleaning staff and every single employee here. It is a community, and everybody gives everything every day in order to be successful. Nobody thinks they are more important than they are, including the head coach."

bundesliga.com: Could you ever coach another club?

Schmidt: "I have answered this question a lot in the past. I think anything is possible and anybody who knows me will say that you can take me at my word, otherwise I would not have been here so long. The club has given me this opportunity and I think anything is possible. I can see myself extending my contract here, or going into football retirement, or doing something else if another club has ideas. There is no grand plan because I am person who lives in the present and I don’t look too much into the future."

bundesliga.com: What do you do to switch off?

Schmidt: "I don’t really need to switch off because I see it as positive stress. Football is a game with emotions and this is what drives me in my life. I will probably have more stress when I don’t have this anymore. On the other hand, I can also say that I sleep very well, and I have probably spent a third of my life sleeping. It is often underestimated how important sleep is and there are people that cannot sleep well. I sympathise with them, but luckily, I can go straight to sleep, and I often wake up in the morning wondering how another night has already passed. Sleep is very important, and I sleep very well."

bundesliga.com: Who are the most important people in your life?

Schmidt: "There are not too many. Since I have been here at Heidenheim for so long, there are people who have been with me the whole time, such as Holger Sanwald who had this big vision of taking Heidenheim from the Landesliga to the very top. Of course, most important are my wife and children, with whom I have a special relationship. I met my wife when we were both still at school, so we have a very stable relationship, and we have two wonderful daughters. This is all you need in life if your family is stable. I can consider myself very lucky because they give me energy, but they also allow me to reflect, and they are incredibly important in my life."

bundesliga.com: It is often said that footballers are under a lot of stress, especially with midweek games and lots of training. How do you see that?

Schmidt: "Ultimately, what we do is not a job. It’s a vocation or a hobby or a passion. Anybody who works in football can consider themselves lucky. My daughters work 200 metres from here in the hospital and my wife works in mobile nursing care. If anybody thinks this here is stressful, they can gladly spend a week working with my wife or daughters and then they will know what responsibility means. There are a lot of jobs with a lot more at stake than just wins or losses. Nevertheless, every one of us still wants to win every game and we have that winning mentality. I also have the advantage that I was able to work a “normal” job with normal working hours in the past. As a player, I think you can consider yourself lucky that you can play football and that you have made it. You should always bring this humility with you."

bundesliga.com: What would you have done if you had not made it as a footballer and a manager?

Schmidt: "I had another job, and I am a qualified bank clerk. This was a good foundation for a life with another job, so my future probably would have been in finance. I probably would have been in a suit and tie and, back in the day, might have carried a briefcase containing contracts. In the end, I think I can say that football is the thing I can do best and that is why I am very happy and grateful that there was this fork in the road in 2007. Holger Sanwald gave me the opportunity for two games and these two games became over 700. I got given this opportunity and I was able to take it so that I could earn money and make a living from my passion of professional football."

LIKED THE ARTICLE? FIND MORE ARTICLES ON THE OFFICIAL BUNDESLIGA APP.