The 20-year-old, who moved to the Black Forest on a season-long loan from Liverpool, received a taste from the German elite with three replacement appearances in his new club’s last trio of matches, but could be online to make his first start opposite Hoffenheim on Sunday.
In this extensive interview with the Freiburg website, Kent how his first steps were taken in the Bundesliga …
Question: Ryan, what do you expect from Hoffenheim this weekend?
Ryan Kent: Everyone knows you’re a very sensible team. They’re at the moment, so they’ve started the season well. It will be vital for us to start the game well so that we can get our first win to the end.
Question: So are they an unknown amount to you?
Kent: Liverpool played Hoffenheim in August in the Champions League play-offs. I travelled with the Liverpool team and coach Jurgen Klopp to Hoffenheim. It was a wonderful pleasure for me, and Hoffenheim gave a good description of himself, played a very smart football and proved that he was a very solid team. Let’s hope we can break them.
Question: How was it established?
Kent: Well. My teammates and coaches have made my life easier. Caleb Stanko has been wonderful with the language barrier. In all the team talks, he sits next to me and makes sure that I perceive everything.
Question: So the language spoken in the room is German?
Kent: Yes, and I think it’s smart because the sessions have to be done for the team, not for me. Christian Streich explains it to me as he can in English, but it is also up to me, through the gestures of the technical staff, to perceive what is expected of me.
Question: What differences have you detected between Germany and England?
Kent: I feel like the surroundings of Freiburg are very relaxed. Sometimes an organization of us sits together, drinks coffee or eats something. I like the way of life and the weather. We’re not very lucky about that in England. [laughs]
Question: What about the terrain?
Kent: In this sense, I think Freiburg and Liverpool are not that different. Maybe it’s because Liverpool has a German coach at Jurgen Klopp. I still have to get used to the taste Freiburg wants. One thing is very different: we use shin guards here in education, no one does it in England. You only wear socks. At first, it was a cultural surprise for me. But the first time I trained with them, I understood why. The intensity in Freiburg is very high. Here, everyone contributes 100 percent to education and thanks to it, you feel smart at the parties.
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