Ilzer and Schmidt rave about Coufal

Vladimir Coufal made a powerful impression. IMAGO/Sportfoto Rudel

It's not often that Frank Schmidt praises individual players. After the match in Sinsheim, the 51-year-old made an exception, although the compliments weren't directed at any of the Heidenheim players.

"If I can and may single out one Hoffenheim player," Schmidt began in the press conference, citing Vladimir Coufal as a shining example for his own team, "when I look at this right-back, he's already 33, but the energy he brought to the pitch today, the way he defended forward and fought in the duels, we'll look at how we can model ourselves on that."

The second half, in particular, when Coufal presented his work directly in front of the coaching benches, made a huge impression on Christian Ilzer. "He's incredibly willing to run; there's no question about his age. He's in top shape and highly professional in everything he does," Hoffenheim's head coach confirmed, praising the new signing: "He's an enormous asset to our game in both directions."

This signing, born out of necessity following Valentin Gendrey's injury (broken ankle), is increasingly proving to be a significant reinforcement. Nothing seems random with Coufal. In every action, you can sense the tremendous routine and experience of a professional who has seen it all in the Premier League.

"Vlad does an excellent job of resolving difficult situations, handling difficult balls, and making the right decisions," Ilzer enthuses, recalling the high demands: "Defending in the last line and attacking in the first line is not an easy position, both tactically and physically. He does it truly flawlessly."

The already consistently consistent Coufal already stood out against St. Pauli (0-3), neatly handling difficult diagonal balls and even firing in dangerous crosses in front of the opponent's goal with a direct shot. This happened in Hamburg after Tim Lemperle's shot hit the post and against Heidenheim after Andrej Kramaric's powerful ball behind the defense (29').

"We had lost three home games in a row before. Today we proved that we can be a strong team," said Coufal, immediately putting his finger on the sore spot: "Except for the last 25 to 30 minutes, when we were 3-0 up and just tried to gamble, where everyone was trying to score goals, and we conceded an unnecessary goal."

A warning from a veteran that is being heeded. "The way he's increasingly developing as a leader in the team," says Ilzer, is another value-enhancing aspect. Coufal's word carries weight in the dressing room, and not only on the pitch, the former West Ham player joins the ranks of the anchor players, as Ilzer calls them, who, like captain Oliver Baumann and Kramaric, provide stability and direction to the otherwise young squad.

In this respect, Coufal is increasingly becoming a stroke of luck, and despite his age, he is determinedly applying for a contract extension beyond next summer. Given Coufal's current condition, even a fit Gendrey will have to stretch himself to hold his own against this rival.