"The big games are easier to prepare for" | Interview with Xaver Schlager
Our midfielder speaks about the power of books, the city of Leipzig and the ongoing season
Xaver Schlager would not describe himself as a typical footballer. He enjoys peace and quiet, good conversations and books. The Austrian tries to spend at least one hour a day reading.
As a result of that, we met Xaver in the centre of Leipzig ahead of the game against Manchester City, with the midfielder flicking through the shelves of a bookshop with us.
Have you always been a bookworm?
- "I actually never used to read. My mother forced me to read at least a chapter every day and I hated it. It annoyed me and I wouldn’t do so. I barely read books when I was at school. I just managed to avoid it when I had to.
To be successful on the pitch, it’s important to have my life in order. That’s why I started reading books. I realised that it relaxes me; totally the opposite of what happens when I spend lots of time on social media for example. I want to better myself with each day.”
Where do you usually read a book?
- "I never read at home or in hotel rooms. Someone often joins me when I’m reading and we then speak about it. It’s great when I then get a book recommendation from them too.”
Where is your favourite spot to read in Leipzig?
- "I have a few. My favourite cafes are Obenauf and Mono Loco. I often just sit by the Karl-Heine-Kanal or the Sachsenbrücke."
Leipzig has a reputation for books and literature. Is it therefore a good city for you to be in?
- "I feel right at home here in Leipzig, it’s a great fit for me. I come from the countryside and life is a lot slower there. There is a good balance between culture, tradition and the modern world here in Leipzig, I really like it.
People in Austria often just generalise Leipzig as “the east” when I talk about it, but everyone that has been here so far has really enjoyed it. Lots of people don’t know how good life is here. I have everything I need, well, apart from mountains!”
Your top 3 book recommendations?
- “There are lots of good books that I’ve read before. If I had to pick: Siddharta (Hermann Hesse), the Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) and ‘Denken heilt, Philosophie für ein gesundes Leben‘ (Albert Kitzler).“
Can we look forward to you yourself writing…
- “… I’m not going to write a book.”
Is writing not really your thing then?
- "I’m Austrian. I have to get a hang of the German language first. (laughs) I have to admit that I’m not the most creative person, and to write a book you really need inspiration and a gift.”
So, you also wouldn’t find a diary at your house?
- “Actually no, I actually write a diary. There’s this idea that they call the 6 minute diary. I take 3 minutes every morning and every evening and answer the same three questions: “What am I thankful for?”, “What would I like to do today?”, as well as a positive thought.That’s how I internalise things which make me even stronger.”
Has RB Leipzig also made you even stronger?
- “The quality of the squad, the infrastructure, the coaching staff are all at the top level and fit my personal philosophy very well. It was always important to me that I am part of a team that is competing for titles. I want to win games, as many as possible – that is my approach.”
You seem to be very happy with your move to RB Leipzig.
- "I noticed in my first training session here that I was working at another level, so I would also have to get better to play a role here. This motivation is very important to me.”
Was there a teammate who helped make you even better?
- “Last year with Konni (Laimer) was very special because we had already been playing together forever – we’ve known each other since the U12s. Together, we were very difficult to play against. We also said that to each other at some point – and that made us even stronger.”
It’s been a really good start to the new season, hasn’t it?
- "Absolutely, despite our performance in Leverkusen not being quite up to scratch. It’s completely normal to have a day like that straight after pre-season, when you’re not quite on top of your game. We got into the swing of things after that, though. It’s certainly not been the simplest of starts to the season, but we’ve picked up wins from some tough games already this season, such as the away victory in Gladbach.
In games like that, you need to have an unbelievably strong mentality, especially when everyone else is bigging you up and downplaying the opposition. Overall, we’re really pleased with how the last few weeks have gone.”
How are you mentally preparing for the clash against Manchester City?
- “It’s simple for the big games: you don’t need motivation when you’re playing against City.
In the big matches, you’re fired up, you want to cover every blade of grass, you stand in the tunnel and want to show the world how good you are. Your mentality going into the game is always the best feeling – you just want to tear it up.”
We’ve already proven ourselves at home in the Champions League against top teams like PSG, Manchester City and Real Madrid...
- "...and the next step is to play like that away from home. I’m really looking forward to Wednesday’s game against City. I'll either win, or I’ll learn. This way, it’s impossible to lose.”
How does it feel that games against City are becoming a regular occurrence?
- “It’s what you work your whole life for as a footballer. I really enjoy it. I’ve invested so much time to get to this point.”
What’s been the highlight of your footballing career so far?
- “The two DFB-Pokal victories with RB Leipzig. No one can take them away from me. I’d like to win more titles in future, that would be amazing.”
Xaver left the bookshop with five books in his bag. “I should come here more often,” he said upon leaving.