Bundesliga
Stevan Jovetic: "I've scored against Bayern before"
Montenegro captain Stevan Jovetic is confident that Hertha Berlin will start getting results to lift them off the foot of the table - maybe even against Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Jovetic has the potential to be one of the shrewdest signings of the summer, and immediately showcased his obvious quality by scoring twice in Hertha's 4-3 pre-season win over Liverpool.
The former Manchester City attacker also netted the opening goal on his Bundesliga debut after only five minutes against Cologne, but since then things haven't gone to plan for his side. Hertha lost that match 3-1, and on Matchday 2 they took the lead against Wolfsburg at home only to lose 2-1.
Next up is a daunting trip to face unbeaten champions Bayern, but Jovetic told bundesliga.com in an exclusive interview that he is sure Hertha will come good…
Jovetic on scoring on his Bundesliga debut…
Jovetic: "Honestly we all expected to have a better result. I think we started the match really good - first 30 minutes we played well. And then I don't know what happened, but we stopped playing and we lost, unfortunately. But… we have new players, we need to get to know each other better, and I think with time we will be much, much better."
On discovering Berlin…
Jovetic: "Well actually, I've just been here for two weeks, and now I'm doing stuff like moving into my apartment, with my family here, so now we just need to prepare that, and also I'm concentrated on the matches. But of course, I'm going to explore. This isn't the first time I've been here, I've been a couple of times because my agent lived here for 28 years, so I came to visit him. So I know about Berlin, and I like it. It's a huge city with so many things to do, a lot of lakes, parks and history. It's really nice."
On playing in the Bundesliga…
Jovetic: "I spoke with a lot of players who were playing here, or who are playing still, and they all told me really nice things about the Bundesliga. It's like open football, to have fun, which is today not the situation everywhere. Today, football has changed. It's important to play strong, and here in Germany, even this game, it was open, a lot of goals, nice stadiums, nice pitches, and I spoke also with [Hertha sporting director] Fredi [Bobic] before I came here, and he explained me the project a little bit, and I know he's a great director. I'm sure that we're going to have success."
Watch: Jovetic's first Bundesliga goal!
On how the Bundesliga compares to the other top five leagues he has played in…
Jovetic: "Every league is different. In France, it's a lot of physique and running, in Italy it's a lot about tactics, and then in Spain it's pretty similar to here because everybody plays football, tries to score one goal more. So it's open with a lot of goals, which I like the most."
Jovetic: "I played everything. Up front, maybe striker is best, with two strikers or one a little bit behind, like a number 10."
On his new Hertha teammate Kevin-Prince Boateng…
Jovetic: "He's a great guy. We played against each other, and he welcomed me here really well. I think he's a great player, with great experience and leadership, so he's really important for us."
On Hertha's aims for the season...
Jovetic: "Actually it's early to speak now. But I think we have really good players, a good coach. We need a little bit of time, of course, to get to know each other, and then I think we can reach, I hope maybe the Europa League."
On his personal aims…
Jovetic: "Actually now I just want to enjoy football. I come into every game to play well, to score, to help the team, and then at the end we'll see. I don't have goals."
On Saturday's game against Bayern in Munich...
Jovetic: "I like those games. I played already against Bayern, I scored [twice in a UEFA Chamions League win for Fiorentina in March 2010], so I can't wait for that match. The Allianz Arena is an amazing stadium - I played I think three or four times there."
On what Montenegro means to him…
Jovetic: "I love my country the most, and every time I have some free days I go there. I go there a lot for the national team too, like now, we're going in September, October and November, then in March, then in June, so quite often. I like it. I was there just now for two months almost. It's a beautiful country."