"Everyone says I should really savor the last year, play as much as possible, really soak everything in. I'd most like to sit on the bench, or, even better, in the stands."
Those were the words of Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker in a really interesting interview with Der Spiegel which seemed to get on Didi Hamann's nerves.
The 2014 World Cup winner will retire at the end of the season before taking on a role as the head of Arsenal's academy. But his final season does not involve much on-field action, a fact Mertesacker is comfortable with.
Clearly, Hamann felt that attitude was not correct as he told Sky Germany: "He is still under contract with Arsenal and says that he has no more buck and likes to sit in the stands. He is still paid by the club and has a responsibility."
But disagreements over that part of the interview overshadows the rest of the piece in which Mertesacker goes into depth about the extent of his pre-match anxiety from nausea to diarrhea.
It gets to the point that he just wanted the 2006 World Cup on home soil to come to an end early: "Of course, I was also disappointed when we lost to Italy and were out of the tournament in the semifinal, but more than anything, I was relieved. I can still remember it as if it were yesterday. All I thought was: It's over, it's over. It's finally over."
So this week on Team 33, we discussed Mertesacker's comments, Hamann's reaction as well as Jose Mourinho's recent behaviour and the start of an international break that won't get too many people excited.
P.S We promise to have a guest on the show next week!
You can listen back on the podcast player or stream/download on iTunes:
Recent interviews on Team 33 include former Man United cult hero Andrei Kanchelskis, ex-England international Carlton Palmer, former Newcastle and Everton left back Alessandro Pistone, Chelsea legends Bobby Tambling and Paddy Mulligan, Dutch legend Johan Neeskens, ex-England striker Darius Vassell, Liverpool legend David Fairclough, former Ireland midfielder Mark Kinsella and former Everton forward Tomasz Radzinski. Plus our in-depth chats with Tony Coton, Packie Bonner, Nobby Solano, Ron Atkinson and Alan Curbishley are still available on iTunes. You can find them all in one place by subscribing to Team 33 on iTunes.
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