Werder Bremen have struggled greatly this season and are currently not too far away from the vicious relegation zone. Many of their new signings have failed to gel with the squad while the loss of a host of big names in the summer of 2012 hasnai??i??t helped the men in green either.
Yet, their prodigal son, Aaron Hunt, has been a silver lining in this abysmal season. Alongside Kevin de Bruyne, Hunt has spearheaded an otherwise toothless attacking unit. If not for Hunt and his partner in attack, Bremen may well have been in a far more uncomfortable position. The 26-year-old German international has been in scintillating form in front of goal, scoring nine goals and assisting five.
TheHardTackle’s Bundesliga editor Aditya Balaram caught up with the Bremen sensation, talking to him about tactics, aspirations and his favorite English club.
Aditya Balaram : You have been with Werder Bremen throughout your career and experienced both highs and lows. What would you choose to be the crowning moment of your career so far?
Aaron Hunt: The crowning moment for me would be of course winning a title with Werder Bremen. I wish we could get the German championship within the next few years. International titles are currently improbable, but may be in the next years it will change. Youai??i??ll never know.
Aditya: Over the last decade or so that you’ve spent under Thomas Schaaf’s regime, you have been used across a wide variety of positions. Which position have you enjoyed playing in the most?
Aaron Hunt: What I like most is to play in my current position. I’m happy with my role and my responsibilities in the midfield and am enjoying it with two wingers on the flanks. I feel comfortable in a variety of positions in the midfield.
Aditya: You started as a wide player but have moved on to a more central role over the years. Was the transition very difficult and what were the hard parts, technically, when shifting roles?
Aaron Hunt: It was not a big change for me. As a youth player, I first started as a forward and then played a kind of second striker or withdrawn striker. Technically there was little trouble because I was used to this kind of a more central position in the past.
Aditya: Having been with the likes of Claudio Pizarro, Diego, Miroslav Klose and Mesut Ai??zil, you have managed to play alongside some of the most talented players to have graced the Bundesliga. Who did you enjoy playing with the most and why?
Aaron Hunt: It was none of the players you mentioned, but Johan Micoud. With him Iai??i??ve played together from 2004 to 2006. I was even quite young at this time and so I could learn a lot from him, not only in a sporting sense, but also as a human. For me he was the one with whom I enjoyed playing with the most over the years.
Aditya: With your mother’s side hailing from England, have you come to support any particular club in England? If so, which one and why?
Aaron Hunt: There is no special club in England of which I am a fan. As a child I supported Liverpool FC because I loved the fans and the earlier team.
Aditya: Werder Bremen have struggled to find their footing this season, especially after the departure of a number of big names. If the club is to return to its successful days of the early 2000’s, what do you think is most crucial, heavy spending or faith in the current young squad?
Aaron Hunt: Of course we have to find a combination of those two things so we could be successful again. Although this season, not everything has gone well, you can see from time to time that we have great potential in our young team. Now the team has to be reinforced at points, as has been the case with Bremen in the last few years. Also next summer players will leave the club and new ones will be added. If you find a mix of investment and confidence in the young team, then it should work out soon.
With eight games to go and just six points separating Bremen from the relegation play-off spot, a lot will be expected from the ever-present Aaron Hunt. With games against Wolfsburg, Fortuna DA?sseldorf and Hoffenheim still to go, safety shouldn’t be too hard to achieve come the end of the season.
TheHardTackle also thanks Aaron Hunt for taking his valuable time off and answering our questions.
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