“A very sad story” – Timo Hildebrand about FC Valencia and Yann Sommer

The Spanish football club FC Valencia is about to be relegated to the second Spanish division. The club was still playing in the Champions League in the 2019/2020 season. Timo Hildebrand views the development with concern.

In the 2007/2008 season he was in goal for the Blanquinegros. It was his first stop abroad after his time at VfB Stuttgart, with whom he became German champion in 2007. As a former goalkeeper, Hildebrand naturally also has an opinion on Bayern keeper Yann Sommer, who is currently under criticism. In the SPORTS1interview, the 44-year-old talks about FC Valencia – and compares the crash with that of FC Schalke 04 in Germany.

Hildebrand also speaks about the criticism of Bayern keeper Yann Sommer.

SPORT1: Mr. Hildebrand, I’m sure you’ve noticed. What do you say about the crash of FC Valencia?

Timo Hildebrand: That’s a very sad story. I always follow the club, of course, and unfortunately the situation worsened after the loss to Almeria. Apparently there is still a lot of unrest in the club. It hasn’t calmed down in recent years. It’s worrying that this big club is on a relegation zone.

SPORT1: Three years ago they were still playing in the Champions League. So it’s all the more tragic.

Hildebrand: That’s correct. Of course, such a fall hurts. I like to compare this situation with my other former club, Schalke 04. A few years ago they were top, played in the premier league and had a really strong team. Schalke are struggling with other things today. So there is a crash like this in Valencia in many countries.

SPORT1: Even after parting ways with coach Gennaro Gattuso, the Blanquinegros haven’t gotten any better. What do you say that such a big name didn’t get the club going?

Hildebrand: Great players are not always great coaches. And vice versa. Thomas Tuchel was not a great player, but he is a great football teacher. So it’s not always because of a big name. There were already enough coaches who had their difficulties as a player and as a coach. You need a different quality. Unfortunately, Gattuso couldn’t do anything at Valencia.

SPORT1: How do you look back on your time in Valencia?

Hildebrand: With mixed feelings. I may have won the Spanish Cup under coach Ronald Koeman, but it wasn’t always easy. Between July 2007 and November 2008 I had four coaches and two athletic directors. There was a lot going on. And these riots ultimately cost me my participation in Euro 2008. Nevertheless, I don’t want to miss the time in Velencia. It has given me a lot of life experience.

SPORT1: So you haven’t regretted the step?

Hildebrand: No, it wasn’t a mistake. The moment I signed the contract, I made a conscious decision to do so. It was the right step at the time. Of course, I would have preferred it differently and would have liked to have stayed longer in Valencia. But everything has a reason and when Unay Emery brought in a new goalkeeper, I knew I had to go. And then I’m back to Germany (to TSG Hoffenheim, d. editor).

SPORT1: But you had a really good phase under Koeman.

Hildebrand: Absolutely. I always played with him. I was the clear number 1 in goal. The problem was that he had three legends (Miguel Angel Angulo, Santiago Canizares and David Albelda, d. Grid.) of the club and of course he had these three against him afterwards. The boys continued to train. And that’s why Koeman was fired just before the end of the season. It was really a turbulent time.

SPORT1: You moved to Valencia with VfB Stuttgart after the championship. In hindsight, how important was it to go abroad?

Hildebrand: It’s important. I had promised myself a lot from it. I was 27 and had been at VfB for twelve years, including when I was young. For me there was only the decision to always VfB or to do something new.

SPORT1: What would relegation mean for Valencia FC?

Hildebrand: For such a traditional club that would be a disaster. There are also investors behind it. It would be very tough for Valencia and their wonderful fans. And it would be difficult to get back up.

SPORT1: You can see it in Germany at Hamburger SV, who are playing in the second division for the fifth year.

Hildebrand: Exactly. You can compare that very well. At Valencia it would depend on the people involved. If a new coach would come again, it would be questionable whether it would work with a resurgence. You can see it at VfB. They have re-emerged twice after going down. But there are also negative examples like HSV. Or the 1. FC Kaiserslautern, who also had to be relegated to the 3rd division. It really wouldn’t be an easy road for Valencia.

SPORT1: What do you wish for FC Valencia?

Hildebrand: That this wonderful club stays in the league and comes to rest.

SPORT1: FC Bayern does not come to rest either – including in the goalkeeper position. What do you say to Yann Sommer?

Hildebrand: He is a top European goalkeeper. Otherwise Bayern would not have signed him. In addition, Sommer is a national player, a World Cup participant and has shown outstanding performances at Borussia Mönchengladbach for many years. Unfortunately, summer at Bayern is not in a good phase right now.

SPORT1: Why is that?

Hildebrand: Because the team doesn’t work the way it should. At FC Bayern there is a crunch almost everywhere and of course a goalkeeper also suffers from it. Sure, summer had one or the other wobble recently, but why is everyone shooting for summer? I find that completely exaggerated.

SPORT1: Sommer’s comparatively small height is also denounced after supposedly durable goals in the Champions League against Manchester City and in the Bundesliga against TSG Hoffenheim. Can you understand that?

Hildebrand: Absolutely not. I hate it when people talk about height. Iker Casillas (Goalkeeper legend at Real Madrid, d. editor) was not a giant in terms of height. Oliver Kahn was also an inch taller than me. But both were world goalkeepers. There are good and bad performances. Body size doesn’t matter. Yann Sommer is not new to the football business. For years everyone praised him to the skies because he played consistently well. The current debate about his height is bullshit.

SPORT1: Hasn’t Sommer done himself any favors by moving to Munich?

Hildebrand: This was a huge opportunity for him. He had to do this. There are few goalkeepers who get an offer from FC Bayern for a contract until 2025. Sommer couldn’t refuse that. I don’t know how things will continue in the new season when Manu (Neuer, d. Red.) is back. But again: Sommer had to seize this opportunity.

SPORT1: Did he really make a serious mistake recently?

Hildebrand: I think the criticism of summer is simply excessive. Sure, with a bit of luck he would have saved the free kick against Hoffenheim. But there were two outstanding goals from TSG and Manchester City. With any other goalkeeper, the journalists would have said ‘Oh my God, what a dream goal!’ But with Sommer, everything is compared to Neuer. That’s not okay. Neuer has also made mistakes. FC Bayern has other problems than the goalkeeper.

SPORT1: Does Sommer ever need a game he can win alone?

Hildebrand: He has shown a good performance but has not excelled. Goalkeepers don’t have to win a game alone, they always have to be stable at a high level.

SPORT1: Since Sommer has been in the Bayern goal, he has felt the long shadow of Neuer. Did that make it difficult to start?

Hildebrand: Of course, it wasn’t easy for Sommer. In a meritocracy, comparisons are often made. And there isn’t much better than Manu. So the bar for summer is very high. You have to leave the church in the village. He’s a really good goalkeeper.

SPORT1: Will it be all the more difficult for summer after this season?

Hildebrand: That may be. But the goalkeeper coach has to decide together with Tuchel who will be the new number 1. It definitely won’t be easy. I can’t imagine Neuer sitting on the bench.

SPORT1: Final question: Who do you think is the better goalkeeper?

Hildebrand: Manu is a world-class goalkeeper. Sommer is an outstanding keeper, but Manu is probably a bit ahead. I wish that Sommer can continue playing in peace. When things were going well at Bayern at the beginning of the second half of the season, no one complained about Sommer. Now that things aren’t going well, you look to him for the reasons. That’s not fair.