LAOLA1: Let's look back together at the past year in Salzburg. It was a difficult season; you only managed ten goals – fewer than ever before. How did it feel for you?
Peter Schneider: On the one hand, it was very disappointing for me that, as a team, we simply failed to play consistently well throughout the year. After our performance in the regular season, we knew it would be tough in the playoffs and that we needed a real push. Unfortunately, we then got an opponent who had a good handle on us all season. And in the playoffs, we simply couldn't improve our performance.
On the other hand, I was disappointed that I simply couldn't contribute more to help us play better as a team. It was a mentally incredibly difficult year for me. I knew that a season like this could – or would – come eventually. That you would have a phase where nothing goes your way. The fact that this phase persisted for large parts of the season was disappointing and at the same time surprising for me. All the more reason I'm looking forward to this season and want to show that it really was an exception.
LAOLA1: Was it just a lack of a bit of luck in certain situations, or were there other reasons?
Schneider: It started with a lack of luck. When the goals don't come and as a team you don't have the success you expect after the last few years, you enter a negative spiral and really start to play badly. That was the case for large parts of it. I kept trying to pick myself up. With the national team, things always went well; I felt very good at the Deutschland Cup and thought: Now my form is coming back.
Und wenn man dann noch drei Mal an die Stange schießt, fängt man an zu glauben, dass es eine höhere Macht gibt, die dich so runterzieht.
LAOLA1: But that wasn't the case.
Schneider: I kept falling back into this pattern where nothing worked out. Our problem as a team was also that several of us had such phases more often than usual. That then multiplies. If one or two players on the team aren't performing well, you pick each other up faster and help each other get back to old form. If many players are experiencing it simultaneously, you tend to drag other teammates down.
LAOLA1: Do you have an explanation for why things went better with the national team?
Schneider: I think I didn't put as much pressure on myself and played with much more pure joy. You always want to win, but in preparation tournaments, for example, you don't have the pressure of having to chase the next championship title. Perhaps that's the reason. But to this day, I'm still not really sure what exactly the cause was.
LAOLA1: You said it was a mentally incredibly difficult year. How did you work on yourself during the season?
Schneider: Throughout my career, even during good phases, I always tried to work on myself mentally and improve certain things. In a phase where you are mentally at rock bottom, it's the hardest. If you're just having a minor slump, you can adjust back more easily. But when you're so mentally down, it's really a long, difficult road. Above all, it doesn't happen overnight. You still have games where things aren't going well, which can bring you down again. I'm someone who wants things to go well again immediately when there's a bad phase. Sometimes, however, it doesn't happen as quickly as you hope.
LAOLA1: Then you try to force it.
Schneider: And when you then hit the post three more times, you start to believe that there's a higher power pulling you down like that. When you're on a roll, pucks suddenly go in, and you don't even know why they went in.
LAOLA1: Did this slump show signs in practice?
Schneider: That's the problem: In practice, things went well every week. There was never a phase where I thought it wasn't working in practice. It was always just the games, where you go in with the expectation: We lost again, so I have to try even more to make it work – but even less comes together. It's really hard to explain. Hopefully, this was just that one season that I knew could come someday.
LAOLA1: It was noticeable that in the power play, both in Salzburg and with the national team, you were moved from your usual position on the left half-wall. Why?
Peter Schneider: I believe that in our power play unit, from my spot, I scored three of the five goals we tallied. That's incredibly few. Although I scored all of them from that spot, I knew that overall things weren't going so well for us, and I'm open to us trying something different. It's not about the power play being geared for my maximum success, but for us as a team. If the consequence of that is that I go in front of the net or to the other side, then I am absolutely open to it.
With the national team, we knew that 'Zwergi' (Dominic Zwerger, ed. note) absolutely wanted to play on the left side, which I completely understand because he's played that spot his whole life and is simply world-class there. We then tried to find a solution, and I said: I can also play on the other side, even if it's not my favorite side. But I'll do it because we thought it could work that way. I think it wasn't bad overall. We scored some important power play goals, and it went well, even if personally, I would have preferred more one-timers, of course. But for the team, the lineup was good.
LAOLA1: It wasn't just a difficult season for you personally, but for the entire Red Bull Salzburg club. In conversations with some players, there was a consensus that they had one of the best teams in the league, but the team cohesion was reportedly not as strong as in recent years. Can you confirm this impression?
Schneider: It's always a bit more difficult for team cohesion to work well when you have certain expectations and as a team completely fail to meet them. Of course, you also have to work on team cohesion when you're successful – but it's easier. If, however, things aren't going at all as expected, then it's harder to keep the team together. I would still say that, considering how unexpectedly bad the season went, we still had good team cohesion. That certainly wasn't the reason that dragged us down. In the end, it's still not easy to keep team spirit very high.
Der Coach muss imstande sein, sein Wissen und sein Coaching so einzubringen, dass er die Mannschaft in schwierigen Phasen wieder auf Kurs bringt.
LAOLA1: Over the summer, it was repeatedly heard that after the successful years under Matt McIlvane and Oliver David, there wasn't always optimal harmony between the team and Manny Viveiros. How did you perceive that?
Peter Schneider: I would be reluctant to blame this season on any one person or the coach. That would be too easy. On the other hand, I must say that it was difficult for him because we didn't start the season well and lost a few games, perhaps even unluckily. It's only human that he then feels pressure, as after four consecutive championship titles, he is expected to continue in the same vein. Therefore, it certainly wasn't an easy situation for him either. It's difficult to judge, but at the end of the day, the responsibility ultimately rests with the coach.
LAOLA1: What can be stated is that Manny Viveiros is a completely different type of coach than Matt McIlvane or Oliver David, both of whom are more associated with the new "laptop generation."
Schneider: But Oliver was also a completely different coach than Matt. Although they are roughly the same age, they were fundamentally different in their methodologies and coaching styles. Nevertheless, it worked. So, that doesn't mean things won't work at all if the coach is different. However, the coach must be able to impart his knowledge and coaching in such a way that he gets the team back on track during difficult phases.
LAOLA1: What's your first impression of new coach Alan Letang?
Schneider: We've already had brief discussions. He's an extremely open, nice person who has seen a lot in hockey and knows the league from his time as a player. He has integrated well. We'll only truly see how it is in the next few weeks.
Ich glaube, der Umbruch ist eine schwierige Gratwanderung für Red Bull.
LAOLA1: There has been a major overhaul, which particularly affected the import sector. Tyler Lewington and Troy Bourke, two key players from previous years, were not retained. How did you perceive the roster changes?
Peter Schneider: It's very painful for us players because we had grown very fond of the guys over the years. Everyone who left was a great guy. They were an important part of the team and the successes of recent years. At the same time, we knew that a bigger overhaul would come after last season. Towards the end of the season, we also knew that this would likely happen if we couldn't turn things around. And unfortunately, that's how it turned out.
LAOLA1: Was this overhaul nevertheless necessary, especially considering that youth development has received less attention in recent years?
Schneider: I believe the overhaul is a difficult balancing act for Red Bull. We have the ambition to be at the very top. At the same time, everyone expects us to integrate as many young players as possible. Achieving this balancing act is extremely difficult. You can't just expect young players to be thrown in at the deep end, benefit from it – and at the same time, the team wins. One underestimates the strength of our league there.
The difficulty of integrating young players can be seen in the teams that are competing at the top. Few players in these teams take on really big roles from the start. That's logical because the strength of our league simply doesn't allow for it. If you're in the middle of the standings, it's easier to integrate young players and give them ice time than if you're playing for the championship title.
LAOLA1: Currently, only six of ten import spots are filled. Additionally, many young players are expected to get the chance to establish themselves in the professional squad. Is the championship title realistic this year?
Schneider: The championship is definitely possible. But it must be said that this year – at least so far – we are pursuing the concept of wanting to integrate young players. They have a good chance this year to be with the pros, fight for their spot, and get a lot of ice time. We will see how they can handle that.
I still remember what it was like for me back then – it's not easy. As a young player, you constantly face setbacks. Perhaps it starts well, but then there's a period where you get more responsibility and have to perform consistently, but then it suddenly doesn't come as easily anymore. This year, they will have enough time to learn that.
LAOLA1: Thank you for the interview!
