“Helping others appeals to me”

It had been clear for quite a while that the goalkeeping reserves at the club, and the hierarchy, were going to change ahead of this season. Pavao Pervan is now down to being the number three ‘keeper for the Green-and-Whites, but is nevertheless maintaining a positive and professional approach to his situation and continuing to put the needs of the team first, as he had always done throughout six previous seasons at VfL. The 36-year-old spoke to us about how he maintains his self-confidence, and explains why he thinks that the Wolves will be able to get something out of their clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

Pavao, you took on an unfamiliar role for the home game against Eintracht Frankfurt. With Pascal Formann suspended, you were the one who warmed up Kamil Grabara. How did you enjoy that?

Pavao Pervan: “It was a new experience for me, and one I liked. I’m grateful to Pascal that he trusted me to take on this important task. I really enjoyed it.”

Was it maybe a taste of things to come? You’ve said in the past that you could imagine becoming a goalkeeping coach in the future.

Pervan: “That’s right. Continuing to be out on the pitch and helping others to develop is an idea that appeals to me. I’ve taken on a lot of different roles throughout my career and I haven’t always been the number one goalie – sometimes I’ve been the number two or the number three, as I am now. That’ll definitely help me, because I know how all different types of goalkeepers feel.”

As you’ve said yourself, you’re now number three, after Kamil and Marius Müller joined the club ahead of this season. How does this change your perspectives, knowing that you’re unlikely to play a match this season?

Pavao: “It was tough to begin with, because you obviously want to play as often as you can. Having a different role doesn’t change the way I approach things, though. I’m doing everything I always used to do, I prepare for matchdays in a professional way and make sure I’m ready in case anything happens, and I feel most comfortable when I do that. And aside from that, there’s always something that you can do for the rest of the group, regardless of your status, so that’s a challenge that I’m taking on.”

Next up, you’re taking on last year’s league winners. What do you hope to get from the match?

Pavao: “Along with Bayern, Leverkusen are clearly one of the toughest teams that you can expect to face. We’re up against a really tough opponent, but we’ve always done well on our trips to Leverkusen in recent years, so I reckon that we’ll prove to be a tough nut to crack for Bayer. We can definitely get something out of the game.”