Alexander Klitzpera: 'We're always capable of a surp

FCBayernNews · News fetcher Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 1328 votes: 2

22.09.2006

Alemannia Aachen schemer Alexander Klitzpera was born in Munich and spent 11 years at Bayern. The 28-year-old returns to Bavaria on Saturday with his current club, although he is ruled out of the match with injury.

Klitzpera joined Bayern as a 13-year-old and appeared for the club at every level up to and including the reserves. He moved on in 1999 and earned his German top flight spurs with Arminia Bielefeld, before switching to Aachen in 2002. He spoke to fcbayern.de about his adopted home town, his city of birth, Saturday's match and the Oktoberfest.

Interview: Alexander Klitzpera

fcbayern.de: Alexander, you're out of action on Saturday with a torn muscle. Will you still be making the trip to Munich?

Klitzpera: "I hope so. I'm trying to organise my rehab programme so that I have time to come to the match. At the start, I was certain I'd be fit in time for the Munich game, but it's just come a little too soon. I'm still hoping I'll be able to follow the team down to Munich."

fcbayern.de: Bayern have taken just one point from their last two games, compared to Aachen's six. That must make Alemannia favourites on Saturday...

Klitzpera: "Of course it doesn't. First of all, we're away from home, and second, it's against Bayern Munich. But we'll still be full of confidence."

fcbayern.de: Promoted Alemannia have nothing to lose in Bavaria.

Klitzpera: "That's right, we win no matter what happens. But it's a bad time to be going there, after what's happened over the last few days in Munich. Rummenigge and Hoeneß have offered their opinions. I know a bit about how it works at the club, and I can well imagine the players are bioling with rage and determination ahead of the match. And it's the Oktoberfest, the weather will be great and the stadium full, so Bayern will be on fire. That's what I've been telling the lads here."

fcbayern.de: Alemannia lost their first two matches but won the next two. Does that mean you've settled down to life in the Bundesliga?

Klitzpera: "That's what we'll have to find out. We learnt a few hard lessons at the start, which is to be expected, but overall it's been a very successful opening to the season. It's not been luck that got us six points from our first four matches. We deserved the points, and we can count ourselves unlucky not to have picked up one or two more."

fcbayern.de: What's the best thing about playing for Aachen?

Klitzpera: "The whole city is passionate about football. The fans are right behind us, in good times as well as bad. They raised the money to save the club from bankruptcy five years ago. You're always immediately recognised on the streets, and everyone's friendly towards you. If we go out after a match, we celebrate with the fans. We're right at the heart of the fan scene, we're not fenced off in any way. Contact as close as that with the supporters is quite unusual at a first division club."

fcbayern.de: What do you remember about your time at Bayern?

Klitzpera: "I only have fond memories, even when things weren't going so well. For example, I was briefly without a club in summer 2002, but Uli Hoeneß and Hermann Gerland let me train with the reserves. And six months after I left, I was still invited to the players' Christmas party. Those aren't typical gestures in professional football, but that's the difference at Bayern Munich. Nobody gets forgotten, even if - as in my case - I never played for the first team. These are the gestures that make you feel you belong. Bayern is simply one big family."

fcbayern.de: That notwithstanding, you were part of the Alemannia team which inflicted a shock Cup defeat on your home town club when the sides last met in February 2004. What lessions have you learned from that match?

Klitzpera: "We only have four players left from the team back then. One of them - myself - can't play, and another is the assistant coach now. But we still have the same team spirit. We'll try and hold our own, and see if we can play to our strengths. That's the plan for Saturday."

fcbayern.de: Will you go to the Oktoberfest after the match?

Klitzpera: "No, unfortunately. I'm from Munich, so I checked the date of the game down there the minute the fixtures came out. I went straight to the coach and the director of sport, and told them I could organise a trip to the Oktoberfest, but they didn't like the idea. Then, after the new boss [Michael Frontzek - Ed.] arrived three weeks ago, I put the idea around again. It would have been a perfect opportunity for the coach to get to know us personally. But there's still nothing planned, and we've already booked our return flight. I reckon we'll need a totally satisfactory result in the afternoon for that to change - but we're always capable of a surprise."