Richter: "I want to score past Neuer again"

Richter returned from his summer of work with the highly-regarded German youth side and has scored twice in the Bundesliga already in 2019/20. One of those goals coming in Augsburg's 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich on Matchday 8 - as well as being the fastest in the league so far.

Now 21, Richter is no longer eligible for the U21s but made his mark with three goals in eight appearances and now has his eyes set on breaking into Joachim Löw's senior squad, as he tells bundesliga.com in our exclusive interview...

bundesliga.com: This is your third Bundesliga season. What have you made of your personal development?

Marco Richter: "It was a bit of a bumpy start and I made my debut away against Hoffenheim. I then mostly played with the U23s, but now I think I can say that I've established myself in the team. The pressure was extremely high from the start and the tempo is always changing. You have to be very stable and I was lacking that at the start, but I've also improved in this respect. In general, the game has got a little quicker, but this suits me because I love playing football and I enjoy the challenge."

bundesiga.com: Is pressure a good thing or a bad thing for you?

Richter: "It's positive for me because I enjoy these pressure situations and I can deal with them well. In the U21s, we were asked to learn things about our game, and I was told that I can deal well with pressure situations. I think it's generally a positive thing for me and I relish these situations."

bundesliga.com: How has Augsburg dealt with the pressure after the bad start to the season and how did you manage to take a point off Bayern?

Richter: "It was difficult at the start with the very poor games against Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Bayern Munich then came to visit, and I don't think the fans had very high expectations. We knew what we were capable of and we had two very good weeks of training with the international break. We knew what to expect and that we would have to be solid in defence. We also knew that we had to take our chances because we wouldn't have too many during the game. We dealt with the pressure and turned it into a positive in both attack and defence. It was great to score two goals against Bayern and to be able to celebrate getting a point."

bundesliga.com: Can you describe your goal against Bayern?

Richter: "It was a throw-in that we'd practised with the overlap. It was great that the ball landed directly on my teammate's head and he was able to knock it on directly. I had a direct route to goal and I just tried to get it on target. It was a great feeling."

Watch: Augsburg's draw with Bayern, including the fastest goal of the season via Richter!

bundesliga.com: This was your first goal against Bayern. Was it particularly special for you?

Richter: "It was a really great feeling because I spent my youth at Bayern. It was also nice to score a goal against Manuel Neuer and I definitely want to do it again."

bundesliga.com: What are your strengths as a player?

Richter: "I think my strengths lie as an attacking midfielder in between the lines. But I also enjoy playing out wide and always try to bring some pace into the game when I get the ball. I try to draw the opponents towards me so that I can get into a one-on-two or one-on-one situation. I always try to find the quickest route to goal so I can score or get an assist. My strengths are definitely in attack."

bundesliga.com: What does it mean to you to play at FC Augsburg?

Richter: "It's great to be here because I was born in Friedberg and grew up here. It's amazing to play in the Bundesliga with your hometown club. The team is really cool, and I get on very well with everybody. I'm very happy here and itÄs great to be playing in the Bundesliga."

Watch: Richter scored in Augsburg's win over Frankfurt!

bundesliga.com: You played for Germany U21s for a long time. What are you aims in terms of playing for the senior national team?

Richter: "Sadly, I'm no longer eligible to play for the U21s, but it's the Olympic Games next year and this is definitely a goal of mine. I definitely want to play for the senior national team in the future and I'm working hard for this every day. You have to always give your all in training and deliver good performances at the weekend. The national team is definitely my next goal."

bundesliga.com: What are your short-term goals with FC Augsburg?

Richter: "I want to stay fit because it's always the most frustrating situation to be sitting in the stands or on the bench. Short term as a club, we need to start winning again and I don't want to have anything to do with relegation. This is very important for our mentality. Long term, I'll just wait to see what happens because it's a long season and we'll have to wait to see what the future holds."

bundesliga.com: You have very good shooting technique. How have you managed this?

Richter: "It's down to a lot of practice and I watched some YouTube videos of Ronaldo because he's my role model. I make contact with the ball between my insole and my instep and this makes the ball move a little in the air. It's always difficult to judge for the goalkeepers. I practise in training, but I don't care if I score with my shin or my head as long as it goes in. I especially enjoy the knuckleball shots."

bundesliga.com: How consciously do you use this technique during a game?

Richter: "I do it intentionally because I want to beat the goalkeeper. I might have slightly more of a chance than other forwards because of my technique and I always practise 10 or 20 shots after training. It works well for me."

bundesliga.com: What is the best way to practise?

Richter: "I just put down 20 balls on the edge of the box and try to make contact with the ball perfectly. If it moves in the air, then I know I have done it right. Sometimes the ball goes five metres over the bar, but I always try to perfect it so that it works more often in games."

bundesliga.com: Is it more difficult when the ball is moving?

Richter: "I actually find it slightly easier when the ball is moving. I want to take a few more free-kicks in future, so I'm working on this a bit more at the moment. I still work on the moving ball with a coach or a teammate by taking a touch and then shooting. This is slightly easier in my view, so now I'm working on scoring free-kicks."

bundesliga.com: What is your favourite team to play against in the Bundesliga?

Richter: "Playing at home against Bayern Munich was a real highlight. They are a team of global stars and it's fun to win one-on-one situations against them. It's always great to play against the bigger teams."

bundesliga.com: Which players in the league do you not enjoy playing against?

Richter: "I've played against Bayern twice now and Niklas Süle is extremely hard to get past."

bundesliga.com: Superstition plays a large role in football. How important is it for you?

Richter: "My superstition is going to the hairdresser every week and I have my initials on my shoes and shin pads. Apart from that, nothing major."