Thiam: “We are raring to go”

Pablo Thiam is fit again after recovering from a troublesome thigh problem. The Wolves skipper is preparing to face Dutch super star Rafael van der Vaart, as the Wolves face in-form HSV away on Saturday (15.10.05) in round 9 of the Bundesliga: "Of course Van der Vaart is a good player, but HSV has several good players capable of deciding a game on their own like Barbarez, Lauth or Trochowski ", said Thiam in the latest edition of his weekly Captain's Corner feature.

Thiam also touches upon the poor performance of Germany in Turkey and also offers an opinion about how things stand in the African World Cup qualifying groups.

vfl-wolfsburg.de: Due to the fact that several players were missing on international duty, you only had a decimated squad to train with. What were the main points in training during their absence?

Pablo Thiam: We still had enough players to train properly. We mainly concentrated on building our stamina, which will be crucial for the period leading up to the winter break. It was important for injured players and of course our new signings.

Like yourself. You missed the Bayern match due to a thigh problem. Are you now 100% fit again?

Pablo Thiam: The Bundesliga break came just at the right time form e. I am confident that recent training has strengthened my thigh and I hope that I won’t have any more problems with it for the remainder of the season.

The German national team produced a dismal performance in the 1-2 friendly defeat in Turkey on Saturday. Did you see the game? Do you think that the Germans despite their current form will play a major role at the finals next year?

Pablo Thiam: I saw parts of the game. I think that the German national team is under more pressure at the moment that had first been anticipated. Sadly, the euphoria following the Confederations Cup has now gone, but I think that young players must be allowed to have a run of poor form. There is plenty of time until the World Cup and I am sure that with the home crowd behind them, the euphoria will return and I reckon that Germany might even have a chance of lifting the World Cup.

The final qualifying games of the Africa groups were played at the weekend and several big names fell by the wayside. Cameroon, Senegal, South Africa and Nigeria will not be going to Germany. Angola, Togo, Ghana and the Ivory Coast are looking forward to playing in their first World Cup. Did any team disappoint you during qualification?

Pablo Thiam: In my view, the Africa qualifiction groups have proved that African football nationas have moved closer together. Sadly, only the first placed team in the table, although several other sides would have deserved to go. Togo was the surprise team for me. I didn’t think that Cameroon would lose out after winning against the Ivory Coast.

On Saturday, the Wolves travel to the AOL Arena in Hamburg, to take on the team of the hour in the Bundesliga at the moment, HSV. Coach Thomas Doll’s side are unbeaten so far this season. Did you think before the season started that HSV would be so strong?

Pablo Thiam: No. After they struggled between relegation and qualification for European football, no-one could have guessed how well they have done.

The Wolves have only managed to take a single point on their travels to Hamburg since gaining promotion from the second division in 1997, are the Wolves the underdogs on Saturday?

Pablo Thiam: After their superb performances so far this season, HSV start the game as the favourites. But we don’t have to hide from any side. I am convinced that if we can reproduce the king of form we showed during our away win in Hanover and part of the Bayern game, a surprise might well be on the cards..

Hamburg’s Rafael van der Vaart has been in sparkling form over recent weeks, resulting in him being voted Bundesliga player of the month in September, everything is going right for him both at club and international level. Have you thought of how to stop him on Saturday?

Pablo Thiam: No. We never concentrate on a single player. We will concentrate on the whole HSV team this week. Of course Van der Vaart is a good player, but HSV has several good players capable of deciding a game on their own like Barbarez, Lauth or Trochowski." Our coaching staff will show us all of their strengths and weaknesses; we won’t travel to Hamburg to lose the game.

Thanks Pablo, and lots of luck on Saturday!