WhoScored Interview: Bobadilla dreams of big move from Augsburg

WhoScored.com recently caught up with Augsburg forward Raul Bobadilla to discuss the new man in charge at the club, his difficulties last season and aspirations for a move in the future. He didn't hold back...

There has been a change of manager at the club with Dirk Schuster replacing Markus Weinzierl. Do you feel that there is always the added incentive to impress when a new man takes charge?

Of course when a manager changes, a lot of things change. Above all feelings change: every player has a new opportunity to show what he is able to do. For the ones who haven't played much it is a chance to get more consideration. For me personally it's an opportunity to push myself forward and to demonstrate to him that I'm here to play, ready to play.

In your short time under the new boss what do you feel are the main differences in approach compared to the former manager?

Every coach is different: every one has his own mentality, his style of training and his way of playing. But I think that the fact that both managers are from Germany means it won't change so much because they have the same type of attitude: it will change only the style in which they want their team to play football. The new manager is a man who has great respect for the players, that treats them well, understands them and that has a particular attention on the attack. The main difference between the two managers is that Schuster has great attention to detail for the physical aspect of training and football, different from Weinzierl, which is a very big change for us.

How has the use of statistics in self and opposition analysis changed during your playing career and have you played under any managers that have utilised them more than most?

Statistics are statistics and are in the past in terms of last season: of course for every player it is important to have good statistics; but now a new season is starting and I'm only thinking about that. The only thing that's important to me now is to play well in this new season and start to demonstrate that I can play in a strong team. The fact that there could be a stronger team, a bigger team, that shows interest in me, I don't ask for more than this.

Do you think that the number of niggling injuries you suffered last season prevented you from finding your rhythm and how fit do you feel ahead of the upcoming campaign?

Yes, I think that the injury in the Europa League match against Liverpool cost me a lot; it was difficult to return to my previous shape and to find my rhythm. But when I was fit again, when I was fully recovered from the injury and I felt ready to play, the manager decided not to let me. I don't know why he took this decision and I haven't had an answer, never. But these are things that happen in football, and things that pass. It was a grave point for me, because I was doing well and this fact interrupted my opportunity to improve myself. But now, for the new season, I am doing all the preparation, I'm training at 100%, I feel good and I want to keep on working as I'm doing now.

Do you feel that the club was perhaps not ready for the added impact of the Europa League, and how much did that influence Augsburg’s poor start to the season?

The Europa League was a dream for the whole club and the city because we know that Augsburg is a small club, a humble club, that has tradition but not so much. Arriving to the group stages of the Europa League with a team that wasn't as strong as the others was difficult for us: because playing two matches in a week for our team wasn't easy. But now we start a new season, a new stage.

You ranked among the top 10 players for minutes per dribble last season and WhoScored.com deem you to be ‘very strong’ at dribbling according to their statistically characteristics. Would you agree this is your greatest strength?

It was a big honour for me to play in the Europa League, to show my strengths, and being elected in the team of the week was spectacular for me. It meant very much. One of my bigger features is what I do with my body, is never giving up, is the fact that I love to play football, to have the ball at my feet and to dribble.

You are also considered ‘strong’ at both long shots and taking set-pieces but are there any aspects of your game that you still feel you need to work on?

I consider myself a strong player, my main feature is to use my body, with or without the ball, I love to drive the team forward, keeping the ball. But I can always learn something new, I'm always available to improve myself, to learn small things, and new things to become able to do. There is always something new to work on.

As a forward do you set yourself targets in terms of goals before a season begins and how confident are you that you can record double figures again having done so in 2014/15?

It all starts again, all new: a new championship, a new stage, a new mission. The only mission I have is to be at 100%, to be able to show myself, because my goal is to leave here, but only in order to find a bigger club for me. I would love to play in Italy, a change of atmosphere: after many years in the Bundesliga I feel I need this. Now the only thing I have in mind for the first matches of the season is to always be in the starting eleven. 

Which players did you aspire to growing up and do you admire most in the game at present?

As I use to say, my biggest idol is Carlos Tevez. I think we are similar in style: for how he's physically strong, for what he does with the ball. If I had to say someone here in the Bundesliga I would say Lewandowski: he is a machine. We are different, but as I said I always like to learn something new. And I'm always happy to play against him, even to watch him playing.

Would Bobadilla be well suited to the move to Italy that he craves? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below