DSC Ariminia Bielefeld recently celebrated an immediate return to the 2. Bundesliga at the weekend. Tom Schütz was a key member of that side and he took time out of his schedule to answer some of Jonathan Walsh’s questions.
“It is a great feeling to be back in the 2. Bundesliga, especially with those dramatic experiences, like the matches against Darmstadt, in our mind,” said Schütz. It was a little over a year since the gut-wrenching defeat in the relegation play-off, though the Westphalian side have bounced back in emphatic fashion.
He continued, “It’s good to know that we managed things within just one year. It was of the highest importance for our club to correct this mistake and to be promoted the year after.” Schütz, who has a regular for Bielefeld this season, cited the fans as a major motivation behind the performances: “I am especially glad that we could give something back to our supporters. Their support during the whole season was stunning.”
Schütz has now gone through his second promotion with Bielefeld, and he’s under no illusion of what he wants to achieve this season: “First of all, it is important to stay in the league. We have to focus on collecting as many points as possible, but I think that we will have a good team.” He added, “We should be able to play really well next season.”
Norbert Meier, Bielefeld coach, has shown great faith in the 27-year-old at the base of his midfield and reaped the subsequent rewards. Schütz was full of praise for the tactician, “Norbert Meier is a very experienced coach who prepared us very well for each match.”
Despite being relegated, DSC put their trust in Meier and Schütz explained exactly why he’s helped them to bounce back at the first time of asking: “We benefit a lot from his knowledge about each opponent and football in general. Our success is proof enough for his fantastic performance.”
Not only has Meier coached well, but he also brought in some great players. Manuel Junglas, Christoph Hemlein and Florian Dick, amongst others, all joined the club following relegation and have fitted in perfectly. "It was easy for them to integrate into the team because we really are a strong unit, as you already said," commented Schütz. "Their own individual quality is another reason why they didn’t need a lot of time to acclimatise in Bielefeld."
Naturally, that wasn't the only competition in which Bielefeld and Schütz starred. The run to the final four of the DFB-Pokal involved beating Borussia Mönchengladbach, Werder Bremen and Hertha BSC, before defeat to VfL Wolfsburg.
"Playing in the semi-finals of the cup was a sensational feeling, of course." Schütz continued, "All those matches in the SchücoArena were breath-taking. Normally, clubs in the 3. Liga do not reach that far. I will never forget it."
Finally, Schütz spoke about his aims for next season. "My most important goal is to stay healthy, in good shape. I want to play as many games as possible and to help the team this way." Having missed just four games through injury this season, he looks on course to keep to that objective.
We would like to thank Tom for giving us his time and wish him and Ariminia Bielefeld the very best for next season.