As his team girds up for a relegation dogfight, Werder Bremen keeper Mio Backhaus has spoken on his “fighting hairstyle” and the manner in which competition from Arsenal loanee Karl Hein helped him raise his game. In his debut Bundesliga season, the Mönchengladbach-native and new Germany U21 No. 1 has done well for both club and country. Even if few are betting on his club at the moment, Backhaus is pleased to bet on himself and his teammates.
Backhaus shaves off his blonde locks
After sporting an artificial blonde since he was tapped to replace Michael Zetterer as Bremen’s new No. 1, Backhaus appeared with his natural dark hair ahead of last week’s Bundesliga fixture against Bayern Munich. The 21-year-old now hopes that his shave will help his team “grow” via more Bundesliga points collected in the fight against the drop.
“It is indeed a fighting hairstyle,” Backhaus – quoted by Kicker – noted in an interview set to be published in the Thursday print edition of the magazine. “I liked the blonde hair, but the lads in the locker room like the new do. We’re going to grab a lot of points with it.“
Backhaus remains confident in Werder Bremen
“When I observe the lads in training, I don’t get the feeling that their heads are down,” Backhaus said of the team mood in general. “Naturally, there’s tense moments, but the players aren’t letting that spoil their mood. We’re still here to have fun and we’re staying positive so we can work our way back up.
“The table position isn’t ideal, but we still have enough games left to play,” Backhaus continued. “I’m fairly certain sure that at the end of it all and we’ll stand there and say, ‘Wow, that was a difficult but ultimately successful season.’ I watch how the guys work. I believe that will be rewarded at some point.”
Backhaus appreciates competitive push from Karl Hein
The Arsenal loanee filled in for Backhaus during back-to-back Bundesliga fixtures in late September and early October. Hein’s strong performances against Bayern Munich and St. Pauli led to some talk of the Estonian national team keeper taking over Backhaus’ role on a permanent basis. Months later, Backhaus remained fairly cool on the subject.
“Karl did well and also created a bit of pressure,” Backhaus told Kicker. “I was able to use that as motivation to come back stronger. The competition helped me. There have been several moments in which I’ve been able to say ‘Hey, I’m here and can help the team’.”
Backhaus remains committed to Germany
Of dual German and Japanese heritage, Backhaus can always switch his international allegiance to Samurai Blue. Despite the fact that he has befriended Southampton loanee and Japanese international Yukinari Sugawara, Backhaus has ruled out making the change. The keeper reaffirmed this in his Kicker interview.
“We’re already too close to the World Cup to focus on that,” Backhaus said. “For me, Werder is what counts. We need to stay in the league. I’m trying to block out everything else for now.
“Even though the next international break is coming up in March, I definitely won’t be playing for Japan,” Backhaus concluded. “Not yet, anyway.”
